Two of a Kind
by Calypso150
Summary: When Elsa flees Arendelle, she meets a strange man with snow and ice powers just like hers. He determines to help her embrace her newfound freedom, but a dark force stands in his way. As Elsa struggles with the fear and chaos raging inside her, Jack and the Guardians try to prevent Pitch from snuffing out the children's belief during the eternal winter.
1. Chance Encounter

"Do you want to build a snowman?" Anna asked, her voice wavering and breaking. Elsa's brow furrowed as tears burned her eyes, but she just leaned her head against the door as she hugged her knees her to chest.

"Of course I want to build a snowman." She whispered softly, but Anna was already gone. She closed her eyes as the wind whipped against her window. She sobbed silently before pushing it down, stifling it and wiping her eyes as she leaned her forehead against her knees.

A figured zipped by her window, stopping instantly when he realized what he'd just seen: a girl at the center of an enormous sheet of ice that had spread out like a snowflake from where she was sitting. Her platinum blonde hair was tied up tightly, and her shoulders were shaking from soft sobs. He stopped, perching on the windowsill and studying the ice that had spread and the lonely girl who seemed to have created it. He tapped on her window, but she didn't look up. _Can she see me?_

Disappointment seeped through his veins, and he sighed as he crouched to take off. As the wind carried him away, Elsa looked up, frowning slightly. Had she just heard someone at the window? _No…that's ridiculous._

The next day, Elsa's things were moved to her parents' old chambers. Private tutors were hired by the regent to teach her what she needed to know to rule Arendelle. They came to her chambers every morning and afternoon, teaching her how to behave at social functions, how to manage trade, and how to oversee political dealings with other kingdoms as well as within Arendelle. While she studied, she listened to Anna running through the halls, laughing and gigging as she entertained herself.

However, sometimes, between lessons, she heard Anna walk slowly down the hall, pausing before her door for a moment before continuing on. And every time, she yearned to run out to greet her sister, to at least open the door and see her face, but every time she reprimanded herself. _Conceal it—can't let her know._

Years passed as Elsa readied herself for the coronation. Finally, the day arrived, and Elsa stood in front of the portrait of her deceased father on his coronation day. Taking a deep breath, she took off her gloves and repeated her mantra: "Don't let them in, don't let them see, be the good girl you always have to be."

Steeling herself, she picked up the candle and ball, struggling to control the cold creeping down her arms and through her fingertips. Gritting her teeth, she tensed her arms as she tried to stop the frost from spreading across the metal. Panicking, she turned around and set them down as she reminded herself, "It's only for today."

Pulling on her gloves, she went to open her doors and gave the order to open the gates. She walked majestically, her chin up and shoulders back, past the line of guards and opened the doors to the balcony. She watched people filing into the courtyard, frowning slightly when she saw a young man perched above the gate. The sun glinted off his snow-white hair, and he carried a crooked wooden staff. He turned his head towards her, and for a moment, she thought he was staring directly at her. No one else seemed to notice him, and her breath caught in her throat as he jumped. But instead of tumbling to his death, the wind carried him away as though he was some kind of god.


	2. Transformation

Jack peeked through the window as the platinum blonde woman turned around to face the crowd, a scepter in one hand and a bejeweled orb in the other. She seemed to be holding her breath, and knuckles whitened as the robed man behind her chanted. Suddenly, he noticed the ice crystals emanating from her hands, and his eyes widened._ No…it's not possible. _

But before he could get a closer look, she had set them down and pulled on a pair of teal gloves. She stood before the cheering crowd, a small smile just barely gracing her lips. Her eyes scanned the crowd and suddenly stopped when she reached the window he was crouching by. _She can't see me…can she?_ Jack wondered. No, she was a fully grown woman; adults never saw him. And yet, why else would her eyes be bulging as she stared out the window? He glanced behind him to check, and when he turned back, the woman was walking back down the aisle. He tried to catch her as she left the cathedral, but he quickly realized that he'd never be able to talk to her while she was around so many people.

He'd stopped by Arendelle when he'd heard that the gates would be opened that day. Of course, he could enter the castle at any time, but what was the point if it was always deserted? Then again, he seemed to have just discovered a new reason to stay in Arendelle.

That night, as music and dancing filled the ballroom in Arendelle, Jack flew through the mountain range. The Guardians had called him to a special meeting concerning a drove of Pitch's Nightmares spotted near Arendelle's northern border, but he didn't think it was anything Sandy, Bunnymund, Tooth, or North couldn't handle, and he wanted to return to the mysterious queen as soon as possible.

The wind howled as he flew, and he squinted as he flew through the clouds. Suddenly, something hit his face, covering his eyes and making him fling about for a moment before he tore it from his face. Frowning, he looked at the soft piece of material that had hit him. Who would possibly have such a fine glove so high in the mountains? It was hardly practical. Then he realized that he had seen the teal material before.

He dipped below the clouds, and he heard a woman's lovely voice echoing through the mountains. Flying lower, he searched for the origin of the song. He flew around the mountain, stopping in his tracks when he saw a beautiful ice palace rising from the snow.

His jaw dropped as its towers grew, reaching up to the sky. He heard the woman's voice rebounding off the ice, and suddenly he saw a beautiful woman appear on the balcony, raising her arms to the rising sun as she sang. Her platinum blonde hair was braided loosely over her shoulder, and a silky blue dress accentuated her slim figure. A cape with a long train that seemed to be made of snowflakes hung from her dress, revealing her alabaster shoulders.

"Wow…" he murmured, smiling in wonder at the sheer sight of the palace and its beautiful queen.


	3. Two of a Kind

After the beautiful ice queen returned inside, Jack hovered by the base of the steps for a moment before setting himself down. He ascended the ice steps, his eyes wide with amazement at the detail and elegance of the palace.

He made it to the top and paused by the large double doors. He looked up and saw the woman through the distorted lens of the ice. She was running down the flight of stairs, laughing in delight as she spun around and took in the sight of her palace. Before she could look down and see him, Jack hopped off the stairs and flew away. Something about the way she strutted confidently through the halls made him uncharacteristically shy, and he wanted to wait until a better time to introduce himself to the beautiful woman with the powers of ice and snow—the ones just like his.

That evening, after she'd finished exploring her castle, he decided to do some exploring of his own. He landed on the balcony and walked inside, admiring the feeling of the smooth ice against his bare feet. The detailing of the ice was incredible. Fractal patterns spiraled within the ice, and when he glanced up, his eyes widened at the enormous ice chandelier above him.

"Who are you?" A woman's voice demanded from behind him. He turned around and saw the beautiful ice queen standing regally in the center of the doorway.

"Who are _you_?" He asked, looking around the palace.

"This is my home. I believe that gives me the right to know who my intruder is before he begins asking questions of me." She said coolly, staring down at him. _Who _was_ she to speak that way_, he wondered. He squinted at her and frowned. _No…it couldn't be her._ It couldn't be the timid, restrained queen he'd seen just the day before. And yet, the longer he stared, the more he recognized her ice blue eyes and platinum blonde hair.

"I'm Jack Frost." He said, straightening up as he leaned casually on his staff and gave her a charming smile. "And you are?"

"Que—Elsa, Elsa of Arendelle." She replied. "Now, what are you doing here?"

"I think a better question would be how did this palace appear." Jack pointed out, and Elsa pursed her lips slightly before saying, "I created it. If you're not going to answer my questions, you may leave. Follow the staircase out."

"That hardly seems fair." Jack protested, but Elsa shook her head.

"It would be better for both of us if you left." She said, turning and walking out onto the balcony. Jack followed her, glancing up at the Man in the Moon before looking at Elsa with a half smile and murmuring, "Beautiful."

"What?" She asked guardedly.

"Your palace. It's amazing." He said, and she felt her cheeks warm as she turned her gaze away from him and said in a dignified voice, "Thank you. You may admire it from afar."

"Why are you so insistent on being alone?" Jack asked, leaning casually on the railing.

"Why are you so insistent on staying?" Elsa countered.

"Because you can see me." Jack said, and Elsa sighed tiredly.

"Of course I can see you. You're practically demanding to be seen." She said, but he shook his head and said, "No, I mean, not many people can see me."

"You're not making any sense." She snapped.

"Here, look." He said, reaching out and taking her hand. But instead of passing through her, he found his hand resting on top of hers. Her cheeks reddened, and he smiled charmingly before saying, "Sorry, that doesn't normally happen. I usually pass right through people."

"Then I'd suggest you return to doing that and leave me be." She said, pulling her hand away and turning to go back inside.

"No, wait, I—" He started, but the ice doors slammed behind her, leaving him alone on the balcony. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She turned to tell him off, but as she did, he climbed up onto the railing and jumped. She gasped, running back out onto the balcony and peering over the edge as she screamed, "Jack!"

"Yes?" He asked from behind her, and she turned to see him standing in midair, leaning against an invisible wall with a devilishly charming smile on his face.

"How are you doing that?" She demanded.

"You sounded worried." He said as he stepped down onto the ice. She harrumphed slightly before turning back to go inside, but he grabbed her hand before she could slam the door in his face again.

"Wait, sorry, here, let me show you." He said, and she hesitantly turned around, hope daring to glisten in her eyes. He opened his palm and created a miniature snowstorm in it, and her eyes widened in amazement. She opened her own palm over his and the snow condensed into a snowball that spun in midair. Jack smiled at her, and she smiled shyly back, noticing for the first time his clear, ice blue eyes and his warm smile.

"You're like me?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, we're two of a kind." He said with a sincere smile.


	4. Contemplation

"You may stay here for the night." Elsa said, opening one of the doors and revealing a room with an ice bed, ice desk, and ice wardrobe.

"Wow, you really thought of everything, huh?" He asked as he opened up the wardrobe. There were even designs in the doors of the wardrobe and etched into the knobs. Suddenly a thought struck him, and he asked, "But if everything's ice, can't you see through it?"

With a flick of her wrist, the clear ice frosted over, and she said, "If it truly bothers you, you can leave."

"Come on, we showed each other our powers and you're still shutting me out?" He asked, smiling easily at her. "Think of the awesome snowball fights we can have."

"Goodnight, Jack." She said, clearly not amused as she turned around.

"Goodnight, my queen." He said with a grin, and she paused, beginning to turn back before she harrumphed once more and stormed away. He watched her silhouette as it made its way back to the grand staircase, and he smiled to himself. _She'll come around_, he thought to himself, _She just needs some time to think everything over. As do I._

He hadn't expected to find the mysterious queen in her own ice palace in the mountains, but he could hardly complain. She seemed so much more in command of herself and her abilities than she had at the coronation, and it gladdened him to know that—even if it meant that she more confidently shut him out.

As for her powers, he'd never seen anything as beautiful as her palace. _Or her_, a small voice said in the back of his mind, and he smiled to himself. Watching her singing on her balcony had made the breath catch his throat, and seeing the shy smile in her eyes when she'd showed him her powers had made his heart warm. He wondered why she'd been so timid before and why she still insisted that he leave her, but he knew that pushing her would only make her turn away from him, and that was the last thing he wanted.

Finally, he'd found someone who could see him and who might understand what it was like to have these strange ice powers. And if she was the same girl he'd seen crying in her room all those years ago, she might know what it was like to be alone, too. Frowning to himself, he made a mental note to ask her about that if he ever got the opportunity.

Shaking his head, he told himself, _Don't get too far ahead of yourself_, as he pulled back the ice quilt. Cocking his head to the side, he felt the fine material. It reminded him of the material of her dress, and it was the same light blue color. He poked the ice mattress with his staff and was surprised to find it give slightly. He sat down hesitantly and smiled in amazement when it shifted to accommodate for his weight. He lay down and settled in, resting his staff against the headboard as he got comfortable.

He drifted off to sleep, but before he knew it, he was awoken by a blood-curdling scream from across the hall.


	5. Nightmares

Shooting out of his bed, he flew down the hall to Elsa's room. Bursting inside, he found her sitting up in bed, her hair loose and tumbling over her shoulders and back as she panted. She looked up at him in a panic before relaxing slightly when she saw that it was him.

"What happened?" He asked, gripping his staff tightly as his eyes scanned her room.

"It's nothing." She said. "Just a nightmare."

He paled slightly, and frowned.

"Nightmare?"

"Yes, but it's fine. Sorry to wake you." She said as he made his way around her room slowly, checking inside and behind the wardrobe and under the desk, brandishing his staff at the shadows in the corners. "What are you doing?"

"Checking for Nightmares." He said, and she laughed softly.

"Jack, it was in my head. A nightmare wouldn't be hiding in a corner." She said, smiling at him. He relaxed slightly and went to sit on the edge of her bed. She pulled her knees up to her chest and created a blanket to wrap around herself, and he asked, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Of course." She said. "I've always been good at handling these things on my own."

He faltered slightly, staring at her sadly as he realized that she must've lived most of her life as alone as she'd been that night he'd seen her locked up in her room. Hesitantly, he reached out and took her hand and said gently, "I know it seems like it's easier to be alone, but sometimes you need someone else."

"Even if I need someone else, other people don't need me. I'm a danger to myself and others." She murmured, averting her eyes.

"Because of your powers?" He asked. "Elsa, your powers are beautiful. Just look at what you've created with them."

"That's when I was alone. When I'm around people, I…I can't control it."

"It's not just about control, Elsa." He said, squeezing her hand. She looked up at him and met his eyes as he continued, "It's about letting yourself be free and letting go of fear. Fear only makes it worse."

"But how?" She asked helplessly. "I've tried for so many years and I still can't."

"Have you tried letting yourself have a little fun?" He asked, and she scoffed.

"I doubt that would help."

"I think it would." He said, standing up and holding out his hand to her with a grin. "So, do you want to build a snowman?"

She stared up at him in surprise for a moment before her lips slowly curved up and she nodded, replying, "I'd love to build a snowman."


	6. Sharing Stories

Jack laughed as he watched Elsa create a snowman army to take on his armada of floating snow-ships. The snowmen leapt up and clung onto the hulls of his ships, dragging them down as he shot snow cannonballs at the snowmen to shake them off. Elsa laughed as she conjured up more snowmen to overwhelm his ships by sheer number.

"Looks like I win again, Jack." She called from across the field of snow littered with the remnants of snowmen and ships. "I'll go easy on you next time."

"You won't have to because I'll win this time." He said, making a new wave of ships rise from the snow. They'd started out building a snowman when a pile of snow had fallen Jack from a tree. Jokingly, he'd accused Elsa of making it fall, and that's when their snow battles had begun.

Elsa had been hesitant at first, but she'd quickly become an expert in creating and controlling the movements of the little snowmen. Jack's ships didn't stand a chance against her snowmen, but he'd never had more fun in his entire life.

When they finished, they sat against the trunk of one of the trees as they watched the sun set. The orange and red and purple light shone beautifully on the pristine white snow, and Elsa smiled as she watched the sun slowly slip beneath the horizon. Jack smiled, too, but he was watching her.

"I haven't been this relaxed in years." She said, unable to stop smiling at her newfound freedom. "Is this what it's like to have fun? Do you do this a lot?"

"I guess you could say that." He said, grinning at her. "But if you didn't play as a kid, what did you do? Surely even a queen-in-training has to be allowed to have a little fun, right?"

"How'd you find out?" Elsa asked, frowning slightly.

"I, uh, I saw you at your coronation." He said a bit sheepishly, and she nodded slowly. "Was that girl standing up there with you your sister?"

"Yes. Her name's Anna. We used to play together all the time as children, but then…then I hurt her. I didn't mean to, and my father was able to fix it, but after that, I wasn't allowed to see her anymore. I wasn't allowed to play or go outside my room. All of my meals were brought to me by servants, and I only got to walk around at night after everyone fell asleep. After my parents' deaths, the reagent made sure that the same regiment stayed in place, only in my parents' old chambers instead of my childhood ones." Elsa said sadly, her eyes downcast and her brow furrowed. "Anna didn't remember anything about my powers, and I had to keep it a secret from her to protect her. She's always been so playful, and if she knew, she'd want me to use my powers, and that would only lead to her getting hurt again."

"You couldn't have known that." Jack said gently, but she shook her head.

"When my powers were revealed at my coronation party, I almost hurt her again." Elsa said, drawing her knees to her chest as her lip quivered slightly. She grit her teeth and closed her eyes, and Jack realized that she'd left her entire life behind her. She might've left being trapped and miserable behind, but she'd left her sister and any other loved ones behind as well. For the first time, he realized the gravity of her situation. For the first time in her life, she was alone. And as amazing as that might've felt at first, she must've also been terrified. Knowing that made him even more determined to stay with her and help her, and he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into a one armed hug as he said, "I have a sister, too."

"Really? Is she like us?" Elsa asked, and Jack shook his head.

"No, she doesn't have powers. And neither did I when I was born."

"You weren't born with them? Then how did you acquire them?" She asked confusedly. Jack looked at her, meeting her large, ice blue eyes before he sighed heavily and said, "We were skating, and the ice was thinner than I thought it was. She was so scared, but I promised her that it was going to be alright, and she believed me—she believe _in_ me. So she stayed calm, and I was able to save her. But the ice couldn't hold my weight, and I fell in. For the longest time, I stayed in the ice-cold water, staring up at the full moon. See, the Man in the Moon takes care of us, and he took care of me that night—he saved me by giving me these powers, but he took away my ability to be seen by anyone who doesn't believe in me."

"Oh, Jack." Elsa said sadly, "How do you manage? It must be so lonely."

"It can be, sometimes. But then, every now and again, I run into someone who does believe, and they tend to be the most amazing people of all." He said, squeezing her hand and smiling at her. She smiled back, and he helped her up as he said, "Come on, we'll freeze in place if we stay out here any longer."

Elsa laughed and said, "The cold never bothered me anyway."

He smiled, keeping her hand in his as they walked up the ice staircase, and to his pleasant surprise, she didn't object. They stopped before her bedroom door, and she took both his hands in hers and smiled at him earnestly as she said, "I'm glad I met you, Jack."

"I'm glad I met you, too." He said, returning her smile.

"Goodnight." She said, blushing slightly as she turned away and went into her room, leaving him with a smile on his face and an unfamiliar feeling inside him. Something warm and pleasant—it was better than a warm cup of hot chocolate after a long day of playing in the snow.


	7. Fear

Elsa couldn't stop smiling as she readied herself for bed. Standing in front of her mirror as she brushed her hair, she wondered if this was how Anna felt about Hans. Chastising herself, she told herself that she was more sensible than to fall in love with someone after just meeting him. Still, she told herself, there was a difference between falling in love and wanting to get married. Anyone could fall in love, but it took a much deeper commitment on both sides of the relationship to get married. With that in mind, she didn't feel as bad thinking about his expressive, electric blue eyes and how they captivated her attention. Not to mention his infectious laugh and playful yet caring and tender nature that let her feel as though she didn't have to hide anything from him. She'd never felt so liberated around someone before. Passing by her window, she smiled up at the moon and said, "Thank you, Man in the Moon, for sending Jack to me."

Perhaps it was her imagination, but the moon seemed to shine a bit brighter in response.

Back in his room, Jack lay on his bed, staring out the window at the moon.

"Thanks, Manny, for sending Elsa to me." He said. "Do you think it's crazy that she might…you know?"

Manny shone a bit brighter, and Jack sighed, replying, "No, I mean…I've never felt like this before. I've always loved hearing kids' laughter as they play, but I never thought hearing a grown woman's laugh would make me so happy. Or just seeing her smile. Or just seeing her."

Manny shone a few beams of light onto the ice floor, and Jack retorted, "I _am_ thinking clearly. Oh, you mean about Pitch? Pitch isn't a concern. Even if something pops up, it's nothing that other Guardians can't handle…Yeah, I'm worried about the Nightmares, too. Especially if Elsa's been having nightmares…Yes, I care about her. I'm not ashamed to admit it. You sound like Sandy…Don't worry, I'll keep my senses sharp, Manny."

With that, the moonbeams retracted from his bedroom floor, and Manny fell silent.

Across the hall, Elsa lay in her bed, wondering what Anna was doing back in Arendelle. Hopefully she'd at least have the sense to wait and get to know Hans better before readying the wedding bells. She'd probably kept the gates open, and Elsa was happy for her.

More than anything else, though, she missed her sister. Now that her powers weren't out of control, she wished she could see her again. They'd been so close as children, and she missed the laughter and the snowmen and the bright smiles. She thought of all the things she'd want to tell her sister about her powers, about how sorry she was for shutting her out, about her strange new feelings for Jack…the things about Jack could wait, she decided.

Smiling at the thought of finally being able to be candid with her sister, she fell asleep.

She dreamt that she was playing with her sister like they used to when they were younger, only they were at Elsa's ice palace instead of the dark room in Arendelle's palace. They rebuilt Olaf, and Anna suggested that they go up to the balcony to watch the northern lights. She began running up the ice steps, but Elsa heard the ice begin to crack beneath Anna's feet. Running after her sister, she cried out, "Wait, Anna, please, slow down!"

She raised her arm to shoot reinforcing ice at Anna's feet, but she slipped and the shot went astray. Just as it was about it hit her sister, Anna turned back to face Elsa, transforming into Jack as she did. The shot hit Jack squarely in the chest, and his eyes went wide. He gasped as he clutched his chest and dropped weakly to his knees, gasping and staring at her, hurt and fear evident in his eyes.

"Jack!" She cried, but as she stood up, the ice broke beneath him and sent him plummeting down into the chasm below.

"Get out!" She heard someone screaming, and she opened her eyes to find Jack clutching what looked like a block of black sand. Storming over to the window, he yelled furiously at the block in his fist, "And tell Pitch that he'd better watch out because now he's made it personal!"

He flung the sand out the window, and her eyes widened as it took the form of a dark horse and galloped away into the night. Turning back to Elsa, Jack said comfortingly, "Elsa, it's alright. It was just a Nightmare. It's only as scary as you allow it to be."

"I think you should leave, Jack." She whispered, feeling her heart shatter but telling herself that it was for his safety. Jack felt a chasm open up in his chest, and he asked confusedly, "Elsa…what?"

"Please, Jack, it was a mistake to let you stay." She said, turning so that she didn't have to meet his eyes. "I can't…I can't keep doing this. Please, just leave before I hurt you."

"You're hurting me by sending me away." He said, trying to take her hand, but she wrapped her arms around herself and said, her voice breaking, "Jack, I can't control it—not when I get too close to someone. I'm only going to end up hurting you."

"Elsa, no, I _believe_ in you. We can get through this together. We're two of a kind, remember? You're stronger than this fear, Elsa. I know you are."

"Jack, stop!" She cried, and he felt a bitter wind push him back, away from her bed. Her voice softer, she continued, "Please, stop. I don't want to hurt you, too."

"Elsa, please…" He begged, his voice breaking. "Don't do this."

"It's the only way to keep you safe from me." She said, and with a heavy heart, he took a few reluctant steps back. She didn't look up, and he backed up until he hit the wall. Still, she didn't look at him. Glancing out the window, his frown deepened when he saw North's signature aurora borealis. Caught between his concern for Elsa and his duties to the other Guardians, he looked back at Elsa, who was biting her lip hard in an attempt not to cry. Reluctantly, he stepped up onto the windowsill and promised, "Elsa, I will return, and we will fix this together. I won't abandon you."

She didn't respond, and reluctantly, he stepped off the windowsill and let the winds take him to the North Pole.


	8. Guardians

"Ah, Jack, good to see you again." North said as he flew in through the hole in the ceiling. "Eggnog? Cookies? The Elves just made a fresh batch."

"This had better be important, North. I'm busy." Jack said, crossing him arms.

"Yeah? Doing what? Setting off an eternal winter everywhere? You'd better not be thinking of doing this next Easter." Bunnymund said.

"Eternal winter?" Jack asked confusedly.

"Don't pretend not to know." Bunnymund said, tapping Jack's chest menacingly with his boomerang.

"No, really, what? I've been busy these past few days."

"If it wasn't you, then who was it?" Bunnymund demanded. "Someone set off a deep freeze across the land, starting in Arendelle."

"Arendelle? You mean…no, Elsa couldn't have…she wouldn't." Jack said, frowning.

"Elsa?" North asked, suddenly taking interest. "A new friend of yours, Jack? Are you going to introduce us to her?"

"Her?" Tooth said, zipping in excitedly. "Who are we talking about? Did someone say something about Jack having a girlfriend?"

The MiniFairies Tooth brought with her chirped in excitement, and Sandy created a heart made of sand in his hands.

"Whoa, guys, stop." Jack said in frustration. A question mark appeared above Sandy's head, and Jack sighed, "Look, Elsa's this girl I met who can actually see me, and she has ice and snow powers like mine."

"Sounds like match made by Manny!" North cried jollily, thumping Jack on the back and turning up to the hole in the ceiling to give the full moon a thumbs up.

"No! North, she…she has a lot of trouble controlling her powers, and she's been haunted by Nightmares recently. They've made her think that she's a threat to everyone around her, so she sent me away."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Jack." Tooth said sympathetically. "I can find her baby teeth if it would make you feel better. She had the cutest molars when she was little."

"I'm good, thanks." Jack said, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Turning to North, he said, "So, why did you call us here? Is it Pitch again?"

"Yes." North said grimly, leading them over to the globe. The lights were noticeably dimmer, and he said, "At first the lights shone brighter than ever. Children were overjoyed by the snow. But now they're tiring of the never-ending cold, and they're starting to fear that it'll never end. Crops were hurt, and the children are growing hungrier by the hour."

"Elsa wouldn't do that intentionally." Jack said firmly.

"Maybe not, but she did it all the same." Bunnymund said.

"Pitch must've sent his Nightmares to scare her into losing control." Tooth murmured, and Jack turned to her sharply.

"What?" Jack asked, and Tooth repeated herself. His eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "_That's_ why….North, we have to go back to Elsa. She's alone, and she needs us. We need to help her if we ever want to defeat Pitch and bring this winter to an end."

"Ready the sleigh!" North commanded the Yetis, and Bunnymund groaned.

"Not the sleigh again." Bunnymund moaned.

As they walked down to the sleigh, an Elf scurried up to North, handing him several papers before hurrying away. North skimmed over them before motioning for Jack to join him.

"It sounds like Elsa has had trouble with her powers ever since she convinced herself she doesn't deserve true freedom." North said, and Jack nodded.

"She thought she was free, but then those Nightmares came and convinced her otherwise. And yet…she created the most beautiful things while she felt free. Her powers are amazing, and she…she's incredible." Jack said, a faint smile on his face. North smiled and said, "You know, Jack, we Guardians protect children and the most wonderful things that children possess. Their sense of wonder, their hope, their memories, their love of fun…but we're still missing one big aspect of childhood."

"Yeah? And what's that?" Jack asked, but Bunnymund interrupted them, calling down to them from the sleigh, "Will you two hurry up? Let's get this sleigh ride over with as quickly as possible."

North chuckled and climbed up into the driver's seat. Jack scrambled to get on as North jerked the reigns, making the reindeer start and charge down the tunnel. Bunnymund screamed in terror, clutching onto the side of the sleigh as they rounded the last bend in the ice tunnel and shot into the air. Tooth and Jack whooped in excitement, and Sandy smiled broadly, his hands waving in the air.


	9. Pitch

"North!" Tooth cried as the sleigh made its way to Arendelle. "Look! Starboard side!"

North glanced to the right and gasped when he saw Pitch's dark chariot, pulled by eight furious Nightmares, heading towards the sleigh. Growling, Jack stood up, gripping his staff tightly as he said, "Let me handle this."

"Jack, wait!" Tooth called as Jack jumped out of the sleigh and rocketed towards Pitch. Pitch threw a spear of dark sand at Jack, but he dodged it easily and, with a sweep of his staff, froze the front two Nightmares. The others reached out to bite him, but he dropped to avoid them, coming up behind the chariot and shooting ice at Pitch's exposed back. Pitch turned and intercepted his ice with a shield of dark sand, calling out, "You really thought you could save your precious Elsa?"

"Why are you doing this to her?" Jack demanded.

"She did this to herself. I just helped hasten the process." Pitch replied. "There's so much fear within her…how could I resist? And when I realized that she's powerful enough to extinguish the infamous Guardians, well, it just seemed too good to be true."

"That's because it is!" Jack called, shooting more ice at Pitch. Pitch just chuckled darkly, his eyes flashing as he growled, "You underestimate my powers, Jack. I _am _fear, and I corrupted Elsa's heart long before she met you—you can't possibly help her, now."

"You're wrong!" Jack screamed, attacking Pitch again.

Pitch exhaled loudly, conjuring dark sand all around Jack that quickly took form as Nightmares. They charged him, and he was forced to shoot straight up to avoid them. They followed him, dodging his attempts to freeze or fight them as the other Guardians engaged Pitch.

Bunnymund threw his boomerangs at Pitch's head, but Pitch ducked and sliced the boomerangs into two with a sword of dark sand. The boomerang pieces returned to Bunnymund, repairing themselves the instant he grabbed them. Jumping onto the back of one of the Nightmares, he leapt from one to another, throwing his boomerangs and launching egg grenades as he did.

Sandy took on two Pitch's Nightmares, trapping them by encasing them in golden sand. His hands moved quickly as he manipulated his sand, slicing other Nightmares into two as they tried to approach him and using his sand as slingshots to hurl Nightmares back at the others.

Tooth and North took on Pitch directly. North drove his sleigh directly over Pitch's chariot, turning it upside down and handing Tooth the reigns as he swung his swords at Pitch. Pitch met North's swords with his own, but Tooth jumped out of the sleigh, landing hard on Pitch's wrists and making his cry out in pain as he relinquished his grip. Leaping back into the sleigh just in time, Tooth retook the reigns and led the reindeer underneath the chariot. North raised his swords, cutting through the bottom of the chariot and making Pitch tumble out. He plummeted through the air for a few seconds before he called his Nightmares to him and fled.

"North, take the others and follow Pitch! I'm going to find Elsa!" Jack called, taking off.


	10. Too Late

Jack hurried back to the ice palace as quickly as he could, dodging clouds and zipping past mountains. Fear gnawed in his stomach, but he pushed it away, assuring himself that he wouldn't be too late.

But as he neared the palace, he felt a growing sense of dissidence in the air, as though the wind itself was telling him to turn back. Still, he flew on, determined to keep his promise to Elsa.

Finally, he caught sight of the ice palace gleaming in the sunlight, but unease and danger seemed to emanate from its crystalline walls. His frown deepened when he saw the fractured ice staircase. His guard up, he touched down on the balcony and gasped in horror.

Panic seeped into his bones as he took in the smashed chandelier. Shards of the once beautiful fixture were scattered about, and he called out worriedly, "Elsa? Elsa, can you hear me?"

He skirted around the edge of the room, stopping when he noticed something odd about one of the shards. His stomach plummeted as he stepped shakily closer to a cluster of ice shards tipped with red. The chasm in his chest opened up again and he fell to his knees as he saw a shred of Elsa's glittering ice cloak caught on one of them. He took the small bit of cloth in his hands and grit his teeth as his grief blended with anger. His shoulders shook silently, and he clutched the piece of cloth to his chest. Suddenly, he straightened, roaring in fury as he slammed his staff down. A powerful blast of icy wind shook the ice palace and sent the remains of the chandelier flying out the window.

His roar echoed off the ice and through the cold mountain air, but there was something else, somewhere close, that was roaring with him. Standing slowly, he carefully tucked the bit of Elsa's cloak in his sweatshirt pocket and walked down the steps, his staff up and ready, to investigate the source of the strange sound. After several minutes of searching, he found himself at the front doors, standing at the top of the ice staircase. Looking down, he heard the roars emanating from the chasm below him. Frowning, he called out, "Who's down there?"

"Elsa…?" The deep voice moaned, and Jack cocked his head quizzically.

"Who are you?" He asked again.

"Save…Elsa…Protect…" The deep voice grumbled. Jack jumped down, letting the wind drop him off gently at the bottom of the chasm. To his surprise, he found the remains of a large snow monster whose arms and one leg were detached and sticking out of the snow several feet away.

"Who are you?" Jack asked, kneeling by the colossal snowman's head.

"Marsh…mallow…me protect…but Elsa taken…Elsa gone…" The head groaned.

"What happened? Who took her? Where is she?" Jack asked urgently.

"Men…angry…hurt Marshmallow…take Elsa down…down mountain…"

"Back to Arendelle?" Jack asked, but Marshmallow just roared again, forcing Jack to cover his ears. "Alright, alright, tell you what. I'm going to find her, Marshmallow, and I'm going to keep her safe and protect her. Do you hear me? I'm going to keep her safe."

"Promise?" The giant snowman asked, and Jack nodded firmly.

"Promise." He said before shooting up out of the chasm.


	11. Act of True Love

Jack flew faster than he ever had before, racing time as he made his way to Arendelle. But just as he reached the city's outer borders, a terrifying blizzard wind caught him and threw him back. Gritting his teeth, he tried to control it, but it was too powerful for him. Forced to land, he made his way on foot, squinting hard in the biting snow.

"Elsa?" He screamed. "Elsa, it's me! It's Jack! Elsa?"

Stumbling like a blind man as the wind pushed him to and fro, he kept screaming Elsa's name in a desperate attempt to find her. For the first time since he'd fallen through the ice at the pond, the cold seeped into his skin and gnawed at his bones. He tripped, falling hard on the ice. His staff clattered out of his hands and across the ice, and the wind whisked it away before he even knew it was gone. Panting hard, he forced himself up into a crouching position, staying there for a moment until he was stable enough to stand.

His entire body was numb, but he still pressed onward, determined to find her. He raised his arm to shield his eyes and frowned when he thought he saw a figure ahead.

"Elsa!" He yelled. "Elsa, is that you? Elsa!"

Stumbling forward, he forced his exposed feet to take one step, then another, until he saw two figures ahead. He heard voices, but they were whipped and jumbled by the wind so that the words were unrecognizable amongst the howling and screeching of the blizzard.

Suddenly, one of the figures collapsed, and the entire blizzard whispered to an immediate halt. His eyes widening, he saw Elsa on the ground, sobbing. The man behind her drew his sword, and Jack cried out, "No!" as he raced towards her. Just as the man brought his sword down, Jack reached Elsa, throwing his arms around her as he shielded her with his body.

His eyes squeezed shut in anticipation of the blow of the man's sword, Jack wrapped his arms tightly around Elsa. But instead of a square attack to his back, he heard a clang resound through the empty air and felt a powerful wind sweep through him. He heard metal clanging to the ground, and he opened his eyes a crack to see the other girl from the coronation—the one Elsa had called Anna—frozen before them, her arm raised to defend them.

"Anna!" Elsa cried out, pushing Jack away as she ran to her sister. Her voice breaking, she whimpered, "Oh, Anna, no, no…please, no…"

Reaching out to touch her sister's frozen face, she began to cry, tears rolling down her cheeks as her shoulder shook with sobs. She wrapped her arms around Anna's frozen form, but it was too late.

Standing, Jack reached out to comfort Elsa, but his fingers paused a hair's breadth away from her, and he pulled them back, his heart aching with hers as she cried over her sister's lifeless body. He bowed his head as one of Elsa's snowmen waddled up and asked grievously, "Anna?"

A blond man with a reindeer stood watching, his eyes filled with sorrow and his mouth pulled into a painful frown. The world was silent except for Elsa's sobs when suddenly Jack saw color returning to Anna, beginning from her heart and emanating outwards.

"Elsa…" he breathed as Anna unfroze, taking a deep breath and dropping her arm.

"Anna?" Elsa asked hopefully, looking up at her sister. With a gasp, she embraced her sister. Returning her hug, Anna said happily, "Oh, Elsa."

"You sacrificed yourself for me?" Elsa asked, pulling away but keeping a firm hold on her sister's hands.

"I love you," Anna said with a sincere smile, and the snowman gasped and exclaimed, "An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart."

"Love will thaw…" Elsa said slowly, smiling and turning to her sister and saying, "_Love_…of course."

"Elsa?" Anna asked confusedly, and Elsa looked around her before exclaiming again, "_Love_."

Anna gasped as the snow peeled away from the ice, rising up into the sky. The ice melted away, and the ship below them rose up to hold them. The ice and snow from across the kingdom rose up into the sky, returning color and vitality to the land as the flakes and crystals clustered together in the sky, forming an enormous snowflake. Spreading her arms, Elsa dispersed it, allowing it to fade in summer's heat.

"I knew you could do it," Anna said with a smile, resting a mittened hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Hands down, this is the best day of my life," the snowman said with a wide smile as his features began to sink and his arm fell off. As he sunk further down and a puddled formed from his body, he continued, "And quite possibly the last."

"Olaf," Elsa said with a laugh, "Hang on there, little guy."

With a wave of her hand, she rebuilt him; she even created a small miniature snow cloud above his head.

"My own personal flurry!" Olaf exclaimed happily as the man from before grunted. Jack started towards him angrily, but Elsa held him back as Anna made her way over to him, stopping the blonde man from interfering. Straightening up, she gave a dignified glare as the man asked, "Anna? But…she froze your heart."

"The only frozen heart around here is yours." She said, turning her back as the man glared at her angrily. Suddenly, she turned around, grabbing his shirtfront as she punched him squarely in the face, knocking him overboard. The townspeople cheered, and Anna and Elsa embraced again. Jack noticed the blonde man smiling shyly at Anna and Anna noticing his smile. Anna and Elsa pulled away from each other, and Anna went to embrace the blonde man as Elsa turned to Jack with a smile.

"You did it, too. You were willing to sacrifice yourself for me." She said, and he blushed slightly as he fumbled for words.

"Yes, well, I mean, anyone would've—" He didn't get finish because Elsa pulled him into a tight embrace, and he sighed happily as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you," She whispered in his ear. Pulling away slightly, she smiled at him and said, "It's love, isn't it? That's the key to freedom—love. You were trying to show me this whole time, and I finally understand."

"Yeah," He said, feeling as though he'd never stop smiling. But one question was enough to wipe the smile off his face.

"Elsa, who are you talking to?" Anna asked, and Elsa frowned, looking back and forth between Anna and Jack. The smile slid off her face, replaced first by confusion and then by despair as she realized that her sister couldn't see him.

"I…you can't see anyone?" Elsa asked in a pained whisper as Jack backed away. "No, Jack—"

"It's O.K. Go and talk to your sister. I'll see you later." He said, smiling at her despite the aching in his chest.

"Just don't go jumping off any balconies this time," She teased half heartedly, and he blushed as he summoned his staff to him and took off.


	12. Forgotten Hero

That evening, Jack regrouped with the Guardians at North's workshop. Long faces and worried eyes filled the table, and North finally broke the silence, standing and saying, "Pitch escaped, but he is not done yet. He will return, and we must be wary. The return of summer has weakened him, but his patience is infinite."

"We'll scour every corner of the earth. I'll have all of my fairies on alert." Tooth assured them, but Bunnymund shook his head.

"Pitch would melt away into another shadow before we could arrive. Unless we get lucky, the only way we'll find him again is if he reveals himself." He said, glancing at the golden lights on the globe.

Sandy frowned, his hand rubbing his chin as he thought. With his other hand, he created an image of Pitch that transformed into a question mark, and North sighed, "That is big problem, Sandy. We don't know what Pitch wants."

"He _wants_ us gone. He _wants_ people to stop believing in hope and wonder and memories and fun." Jack said bitterly, and Tooth looked at him concernedly.

"What's wrong, Jack? I thought you'd be happy—after all, Elsa's safe, and she's ended the eternal winter." Tooth asked.

"It's nothing." Jack insisted, turning to look at North. "So, is that it? Be on the lookout for Pitch and report anything if we see it?"

"You seem to be in a hurry." Bunnymund said suspiciously.

"I made a promise earlier I'd really hate to break." Jack said, standing up. Sandy created a heart in his hands again, and this time Jack shrugged and said with a slight grin, "We'll see."

"Fly safely!" Tooth called as Jack picked up his staff and shot up through the hole in the ceiling.

Jack zipped through the mountain range and flew as quickly as he could to return to Arendelle. As he neared the mountains on Arendelle's northern border, he realized that he'd left a very helpful snow monster in a very deep and dark chasm all by itself. Changing his course slightly, he flew towards Elsa's ice palace.

When he arrived, he heard Marshmallow bellowing from the bottom of the chasm. Covering his ears as he landed, he shouted over the sound of grinding rocks, "Marshmallow, it's me! Jack!"

Marshmallow stopped bellowing and laboriously asked, "Elsa…safe?"

"Yeah, she's safe." Jack said. "Do you want to get out of this chasm?"

"Elsa…safe…" Marshmallow murmured, his voice rumbling satisfactorily. "Safe…Marsh…mallow…help…"

"Yeah, you helped a ton." Jack said, smiling and crouching by Marshmallow's head. Marshmallow's eyeholes closed and opened slowly before Marshmallow uttered, "Happy…Elsa…safe."

"I'm happy that she's safe, too. Now, do you want me to help you?" Jack asked, but Marshmallow was silent. Jack frowned concernedly, resting his hand on Marshmallow's head. "Are you alright, Marshy?"

"Marsh…Marshy…ha…ppy…" Marshmallow said, his voice slowly grinding to a halt as his eyes closed. Jack felt a brush of winter air, and Marshmallow blew away with it, the snow that once made up his body scattering to the winds. Jack stood, his eyes moist as he watched the snow blow away.

"Thanks, Marshy." He said softly. "Couldn't have done it without you."

Perhaps it was the wind, or perhaps it was his imagination, but he thought he could hear the echo of Marshmallow's final bellow in the distance.


	13. Promises

Elsa sat at her windowsill, looking over the town square with a faint smile on her face. After returning to the palace with her sister, they had spent hours with the royal advisors trying to determine the implications of what had happened on the kingdom and the economy. Finally, when it was over, she and Anna dined together for the first time in over a decade, and they'd laughed like they never had before. Even after the last dish had been taken away, they sat and talked and laughed for several hours more.

It wasn't until ten that Elsa realized how late it had become. Promising her sister that they'd talk more the next day, she excused herself from the dining hall.

Reminiscing her conversation with her sister made Elsa happier than she'd been in years. She knew they could never fully make up for the time they'd lost as children, but she and Anna were more than willing to try.

"Elsa?" A familiar voice asked, and she blinked, realizing that Jack was floating outside her window. She smiled at him and opened the window, asking, "What are you doing out there?"

"Hoping you'll let me in." Jack said, and she laughed as she pushed both windows out to give him enough space to fly in. He did, landed softly and looking around her room.

"So this is where you live?" He asked, feeling alien in the enclosed space.

"Yes. It's not quite an ice palace, but it's home." She said as he took in the finely carved furniture and expensive paintings and embroideries on display in her room. Even when he'd lived in a house, he'd never seen anything like this before. And, looking at the cold, unfeeling stone walls and ceiling, he was glad he hadn't. He felt trapped in the small room, and he wasn't sure how Elsa tolerated it. Everything seemed so withdrawn and distant, as though it was holding back emotion and noise in fear that someone would chastise it if it didn't.

Walking around, he touched the stone wall and murmured, "I think I prefer the translucent ice walls."

"It's a little stuffy, yes, but you grow accustomed to it after time." Elsa said simply. "I'm sorry about Anna. I thought that of all people, she'd be able to…"

"No, it's fine. Adults hardly ever see me." He assured her with a forced smile. The smile fading quickly, he said, "There's something I want to tell you."

"What is it?" Elsa asked, frowning.

"Do you remember Marshmallow?"

"Of course. I'll have to settle him into the ice palace soon; I'd hate for him to try and come down the mountain and melt." Elsa said, gesturing for Jack to take a seat in one of the armchairs. He sat down uncomfortably, squirming slightly before standing up on the chair and crouching down. He crossed his legs and sat down again, hunched over slightly as he said sadly, "He didn't melt, but he…he disintegrated."

"What?" Elsa asked in disbelief as she sat.

"He was horribly injured when I found him in the chasm. He told me where to find you, and I left him there to search for you. But when I went back, he blew away in the wind after I told him you were safe." Jack said, and Elsa nodded sadly.

"He wanted to make sure that I was safe." Elsa said, smiling sadly as she blinked hard, trying to ignore the burning sensation in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Elsa." Jack said, reaching over and taking her hand. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No, it's fine…" Elsa said, and Jack could tell that she was caught between feeling touched by Marshmallow's loyalty and devastated by his loss. After a moment, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and took a deep breath before opening them again and smiling as she asked softly, "You know, you never told me much about yourself."

"Neither did you." He pointed out with a smile. He knew that she was saving her tears for Marshmallow until after he was gone, but he wanted to give her something enjoyable in the meantime.

"I'm not a terribly interesting person, Jack." Elsa said, smiling embarrassedly into her lap.

"I'm afraid I have to disagree. You're one of the most interesting people I've ever met." He said frankly, and she blushed slightly.

"Well, then, what do you want to know?" She asked.

As they talked, Elsa smiled and began opening up more and more. She loved how expressively Jack talked—getting up and imitating a certain movement or sound, using his hands to emphasize words—it made her talk and laugh more freely. He described his adventures with the Guardians and explained to her how he'd come to be the Guardian of fun, and she couldn't think of a better job for him. She held his hand when he described Pitch's cruelties and the Guardian's rejection, laughed with him when he parodied Bunnymund's suspicion, and smiled when he described his flights all around the world.

Jack listened carefully to Elsa's tale, too, sharing in her grief and loneliness at her decade long quarantine and her loss of her parents and sharing in her excitement as she talked about her powers and her hopes for the future.

They talked well into the night, only pausing when Elsa let out a loud yawn. Despite her attempts to stifle it, Jack realized how exhausted she was. Looking outside, he saw that Manny was more than halfway through his journey across the sky.

"I'd better let you sleep." He said, but she shook her head.

"No, it's fine. I'm wide…" she yawned again before continuing, "wide awake."

He laughed and took her hand as he walked over to the window.

"You know, I never suspected that you'd become a friend when you first landed on the balcony." Elsa said as he stepped up onto the windowsill.

"Well, what's life without a few surprises?" He asked, smiling at her.

"I think I like promises better." She replied.

"What kind of promises?" he asked.

"Like promises to come and visit me tomorrow night." She said, her eyes full of a playfulness he'd never seen before. He grinned and said, "I like those kind of promises, too."

They stood there for a moment, their eyes locked as they smiled at each other, the world forgotten. Jack resisted the urge to lean in and peck her on the cheek, instead choosing to preserve and savor the little slice of perfection for as long as he could. Finally, he said, "See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Jack." She said tenderly, squeezing his hand gently. He squeezed back as he said with a warm smile, "Goodnight, Elsa."

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoa, OK, I didn't realize I could do this until just now. Thank you for the favorites and follows-they mean a lot! I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors I've missed. **

**A quick note on Marshmallow: I'm aware of the end credits scene where he picks up Elsa's diadem in her palace, but I didn't think that made much sense since he lost his leg and fell down that chasm during the fight scene. Also, I thought it would be sweet if it was his loyalty to Elsa that held him together despite his injuries. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**Yours, Calypso**


	14. Anniversary

Elsa sighed heavily as the last of the royal advisors left the throne room. It had been a year since she'd reclaimed her throne, and what a year it had been.

Despite all her years of training provided to her by the reagent, nothing could have prepared her for actually running a kingdom. It was incredibly stressful as she juggled different trading partners with different seasons, planned, organized, and executed social functions, and maintained political and economic stability within Arendelle.

Anna helped, of course, especially when the sweltering heat of late summer left Elsa debilitated and unable to spend too much time outside of her chilled chambers. Kristoff's business had taken off, so he moved to the city to spend more time with Anna as he managed his workers mostly from afar. Olaf did his part as well, keeping the children happy and cheerful as he led them in song and dance.

And then there was the promise of tomorrow night that was fulfilled and renewed on a nightly basis when Jack came to visit in the evening while she took supper in her chambers. He'd join her for the meal, and then they'd spend hours laughing and talking and exploring different combinations of their powers. She wasn't sure how she could manage without any of them, but she was sure that without her evenings with Jack, her days would be nigh unbearable. Despite having reconciled with her sister, she still felt that she couldn't be as open about her powers as she could be with Jack.

She hadn't found a way of telling Anna about Jack, but Jack wasn't pressuring her to. Instead, he assured her that it was perfectly normal for adults not to be able to see him. Still, she wished she could spend time with _everyone_ she loved while they could all see each other.

One night, as Elsa spread the napkin across her lap, Jack landed softly on her windowsill. Turning around, she smiled at him and said, "It's good to see you again."

Looking uncharacteristically shy, he stepped into her room, keeping his hands behind his back. He grinned and said, "I brought you something. For the anniversary of when we first met."

He stepped in front of her and took a deep breath before showing her a small bouquet of six beautifully crafted ice roses.

"Oh, Jack," She said, smiling up at him as she accepted the roses. As her fingers touched them, they blossomed, opening up to reveal a small snowflake spinning at the center of each one. "They're gorgeous. How did you make these?"

"I came up with the idea, and North helped me make them." Jack said, smiling shyly. "I'm glad you like them."

"That's so sweet." She said, smiling. "Thank you. And tell North thanks as well."

"I will." He said as she felt the petals of one of the roses. "They won't melt or wilt, so you don't have to worry about keeping them out during summer."

"That's very thoughtful of you," she said, and her eyes sparkled with excitement as she continued, "I have something for you, too. Stay right here."

She stood, keeping a firm hold on the roses as she opened her wardrobe. She pulled out several navy blue sweatshirts identical to the one Jack was wearing, and he laughed.

"You said you didn't want to wear anything else, but you have to wash it at some point, and you told me you don't know how to sew. It took a little bit of practice shaping the material into this strange…sweatshirt shape, but I was finally able to do it." She said proudly, and he took them, holding them up and smiling.

"They're exactly my size, too." He said, and she blushed.

"Yes, well, I had to take my best guess just from looking at you." She said, her cheeks warm.

"I love them," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she murmured into the heavy material of his sweatshirt. Pulling away, she smiled and asked, "How did you come by this…sweatshirt, anyway?"

Jack smiled at her pronunciation of the foreign term, and he said, "My clothes change as time passes, but so far this is my favorite. It's much warmer than my old cloak."

"Really?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Want to try it on?" He asked, and she blushed. "What? Now I have all these extras! I don't even know where I'm going to keep them."

"You could keep them here," she suggested timidly, and he met her eyes to find them hopeful and shy and nervous all at once. "You already spend most of your nights here, so you could make it official."

"Elsa, I'd love to." He said earnestly, "But how are you going to explain making up a room for an invisible guest?"

"You could stay here. With me." She said shyly. "My chambers are certainly large enough, and no one will question the queen."

"Isn't that an abuse of your powers, my queen?" he teased, and she laughed.

"Not if it's for helping a close friend." She said, taking his hand and squeezing it. "A very…very close friend."

She leaned in slightly, and he leaned in, too, until their noses were touching. Elsa could feel Jack's breath mingling with hers when he pulled away suddenly and said seriously, "Elsa, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Elsa asked worriedly. The seriousness in his voice scared her; he was usually so lighthearted and carefree. Whatever he had to tell her must've been truly important if he'd pull away at such a moment. She'd come to love him more deeply than the childish puppy love she'd experienced when they'd first met, and she sensed—she hoped—that he felt the same way.

"It's about the Guardians." He said, leading her over to her their usual armchairs. She sat down gracefully, and he climbed into his usual cross-legged position with his staff resting across the arms of the chair. "Remember how I told you about them and the Man in the Moon?"

"Of course." She said, wondering where he could possibly be going with this conversation.

"Right, well, there was something I kind of omitted before." He said hesitantly, and she nodded encouragingly for him to continue. "I didn't know how relevant it would become until I realized that I…I like you, a lot, but there's one slight problem."

"And what would that be?" She asked concernedly.

"The Guardians are…immortal." He said, and her face slowly fell.

"Immortal?" she asked, hoping she hadn't heard him correctly.


	15. Immortal

"Yeah, immortal." He said, and her brow furrowed as she tried to form a response. Her mouth worked silently until she was finally able to say, "You…you're immortal. I suppose…I'd understand if you wanted to leave. After all, we humans are so…perishable, and…"

"No, Elsa, no, that's not what I meant. Not at all." He said, leaping up and taking her hand. He knelt by her chair, and she looked at him in alarm as he said earnestly, "Elsa, I would rather spend a few wonderful years with you and the rest of my life alone than leave you now."

"But…" She started, but he shook his head.

"No, I told you because I was worried that you'd be angry if we took this any further without me telling you." he said. "I've been waiting because I've still been trying to figure this out, and I didn't know how you felt, but…I know what I want now, and to make that possible, you have to know the truth—the whole truth."

"And what do you want?" She asked, extremely conscious of the fact that he was on his knees before her with her hands in his. She wouldn't necessarily say no if he asked, but she hadn't expected anything like this so soon. Then again, it had been a year, and they spent hours together every day, but it still seemed like he was taking it at an usually fast pace. Not as fast Hans and Anna, but she didn't hold that relationship to a realistic standard.

She was so lost within her own thoughts that she nearly missed it when he said, "I want you to come with me."

"Where?" She asked, and he smiled, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Anywhere," he said, "Can you imagine it? Just the two of us, anywhere we want to go, no rules, no responsibility…it'll be great."

"When would we get back? The summer festival is in two weeks, and I really need to meet with the committee to—"

"No, I mean…Elsa, I'm not the palace-type. We both know that, but I still want to be with you. And what better way than to travel together? Go anywhere, create all the snow days we want, do anything and everything you want."

"Jack, I'd love to," she started, and his face lit up, "But I have a life here. I have duties to Anna, duties to my kingdom, my subjects. I can't leave them. You…" she said, taking his face in her hands, "Jack, you have the freedom to go wherever you want without ever looking back, but that's not how my life works. There will always be work tomorrow, laws to review and sign, meetings to attend."

"Not if you just leave." He said softly, resting one of his hands over hers.

"I tried that once, and you saw what happened. You and Anna nearly died because of it."

"It wouldn't happen this time. You know how to control your powers. Now it's just a matter of letting yourself have some fun with them."

"And what will happen when I'm too old to travel?" She asked sadly, her voice softening as she pulled her hands away. "What will happen then? I'll have nowhere to go in my old age, no place secure for me to stay."

"We'd figure something out." He said, but he could feel himself losing her. He shook his head slowly as she stood, turning away from him. "Elsa, please, I'll talk to North. There _must_ be a way. And when I find it, will you come with me?"

"Jack…" she said, turning back to face him as he stood. "I can't make any promises. I'd have to talk to Anna and Kristoff and…we'll see."

"Then promise that you'll wait for me until I find the solution." He said, and she nodded.

"I promise." She said, and he nodded slowly.

"Then I should go now so that I can be back as quickly as possible." He said, pulling her over to the window. Resting his hands on her waist, he leaned in once more, but she stopped him, saying with a tantalizing smile, "When you return."

"But I don't know when that will be," he said, pouting slightly.

"Then hurry." She said, pulling away and squeezing his hands. He grinned and stepped up onto the windowsill, giving a small bow before jumping off.


	16. Waiting

Days passed, then weeks, then months without Jack returning. Elsa worried about him constantly, but she couldn't let it interfere with her duties. Still, long days of state affairs seemed agonizing without the promise of Jack's company in the evening. At first, she'd gotten through on the hope that he'd be waiting for her with one of his devilishly charming smiles and a solution, but the longer he was gone, the more the disappointment hurt when it came. _He'll come back when he has a solution_, she would assure herself after particularly taxing days.

She tried not to let his absence affect other parts of her life, but it must've slipped through because on one sweltering afternoon in late August, Anna visited her office.

"Are you alright?" Anna asked as Elsa reinforced the snow cloud above her head that she was using to keep herself cool.

"I'm fine, thank you. I just wish it didn't have to be so warm today." She sighed. "There's still so much to do before supper."

"Do you want any help?" Anna asked, and Elsa smiled.

"Yes, thank you. If you could, please look over those letters and summarize them on that paper over there." Elsa said. Anna did, sitting down beside her sister.

They worked in silence for a few moments before Anna asked again, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I assure you, I'm fine. Thank you." Elsa said, busy reading a letter from Queen Rapunzel and King Eugene of Corona.

"No, I mean, you've been awfully silent lately." Anna said.

"You know I don't fare well in the summer." Elsa said, setting down the letter.

"It's just…O.K., I didn't mean to snoop, but I sort of noticed that you used to talk to someone in your bedroom at night when you ate dinner, and suddenly you stopped about two months ago," Anna spurted out, "And I was just wondering if that had anything to do with your, well, not grumpy, but, you know, generally less happy mood lately."

Elsa was silent, and Anna took that as a sign to keep rambling.

"I mean, I'm not saying was a man or anything. I couldn't really hear the other person for some reason. But still! I mean, you're twenty-two, and you're old enough to be sensible about that sort of thing, but I was just curious, and—"

"Anna." Elsa said slowly, reining her sister back in. "It's…it's quite complicated. You see, a little more than a year ago, when I left Arendelle, I met someone."

"Someone? A man? Who is he? Why haven't you introduced me to him? It's fine that you haven't, but I just figure that as sisters, you'd—"

"Anna." Elsa said again, and Anna blushed apologetically. "It's because he's invisible."

Anna stared at her sister in shock for a moment, wondering if the heat had gone to her sister's head. Elsa smiled uncomfortably and said, "I know it sounds strange, but hear me out. His name is Jack Frost—"

"Like the legend? Elsa, he's not real!" Anna said, frowning at her sister. Normally she was the more sensible of the two, yet she seemed to have discarded all logic and reason. _Jack Frost? No, there's no such thing. He's just a character from the stories that Mother and Father used to tell us when it would snow. _"Elsa, he was your imaginary friend when you were little, but that doesn't make him real, now."

"I know, I know. It sounds crazy, but he's real, and he's the one who's been visiting me in the evenings. Nothing improper has happened, of course, but he has powers of ice and snow just like me, and he can fly, too. And, Anna, he asked me to run away with him, and I think I must be going mad because I want to go with him."

"What?" Anna breathed in disbelief. Who was this and what had they done with her sensible, level-headed sister? "But what about Arendelle? What about me?"

"You could rule. The people love you, Anna, and they'd gladly accept you as their queen." Elsa said. "You know everything I know about ruling a kingdom, and Kristoff could help—"

"Elsa, no! I don't know a thing about running a kingdom except the little that I've learned from you. And besides that, what about me? Will I ever see you again?" Anna asked in a panic.

"Of course," Elsa promised, taking her sister's hand. "Of course I'll visit you. I just…I can't keep ruling…I can't keep living like this. I feel so trapped here, and it's so draining. Arendelle deserves a queen who does not wilt with the seasons. You know so much more than you think, Anna. I _know_ you can do it. I believe in you."

"And you'd really just leave everything behind? Everyone?" Anna asked brokenly.

"It's not a permanent goodbye. Goodbyes are never permanent. Even when I'm not here, we'll still be sisters." Elsa said earnestly. "Besides, I don't know when he'll return, so we have time."

"Are you sure that he _will_ return?" Anna asked hesitantly, and Elsa frowned.

"He will return." She said firmly. Softening slightly, she said, "I'm sorry to tell you so suddenly, but there are so few times when we're alone, and I've been trying to find a way to tell you that—"

"That you've met the living version of your imaginary friend from childhood who can fly and has powers like yours and who has invited you to run away with him and that you want to go with him when he returns, leaving me to rule Arendelle." Anna summarized, and Elsa nodded sheepishly. "Elsa…do you love him?"

"I…I think I do."


	17. Fear's Return

Elsa watched her sister carefully, unsure of how she would respond. At first, Anna was silent, then she began to make a small squealing sound before she smiled and her eyes squinted in happiness as she threw her arms around Elsa.

"Whoa, there!" Elsa said as Anna cried, "Oh my goodness, Elsa, I'm so happy for you! You _have _to introduce us when he comes back, O.K.?"

"O.K., O.K." Elsa said, laughing and hugging Anna back before pulling away. "We'll talk more about this after we're done reading these letters."

Still, as they read, Anna snuck in questions.

"Is he tall?"

"Yes." Elsa said, not looking up. Anna returned to reading, tapping her foot to keep herself from asking another question for about ten seconds before she asked, "What color are his eyes?"

"I thought we agreed that we'd talk about this later." Elsa said, raising an eyebrow as she continued reading.

"We can read these papers later." Anna pushed, and Elsa sighed.

"Fine. His eyes are blue, but they're not like the Duke of Weselton's eyes. They're much brighter, and they're so expressive and engaging and simply…magical." Elsa said thoughtfully with a slight smile, and her sister giggled. Snapping back to her usual composed self, Elsa said, "Come on, I've answered your questions. Let's get back to reading the letters."

That night, as Elsa sat by her bedroom window, she stared out at the full moon and sighed, "Man in the Moon, please keep Jack safe. I miss him terribly. Do you think you could let him know that?"

The moon shone a bit brighter, and she smiled and said, "Thank you, Man in the Moon."

Standing up, she returned to her bed and sat down, reaching over to stroke the cool petals of the roses Jack had given her. She smiled sadly and curled up underneath the covers, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

As she slept, golden sand crept into her room through the crack in her windowsill. It reached out to gently touch Elsa's forehead, creating an image of Jack, Anna, and Elsa playing in the snow together, laughing as they created snowmen together and Anna chased the snowmen around.

Slowly, a menacing shadow crept into her room as well, swelling as it entered and hissing slightly when it came into contact with the golden sand. It traveled along the wall of her room, forming into the silhouette of a man with a large, hook nose, pointed chin, and spikey hair. As it neared Elsa's bed, the shadow peeled away from the wall and took the form of a man with dark skin and dangerous golden eyes. He watched Elsa's dream for a moment, cooing softly, "Oh, how sweet…the three of them, together at last."

His smile turned menacing, and he added, "But it needs a touch of fear."

Dipping his finger into the golden sand, he corrupted it, turning it dark and turning Jack and Anna's sand forms into dust. Elsa's form fell to her knees, sobbing as the snowmen disintegrated and her dream turned into a nightmare. Pitch touched Elsa's forehead with his thumb and forefinger, whispering, "You've been without fear for too long, my queen. Time to remember what lies beyond the realm of dreams: cold, hard, dark reality."

Beneath him, Elsa began to writhe in her sleep, crying out as though in physical pain as tears streamed down her cheeks. Smiling in satisfaction, Pitch withdrew from her room, leaving her to waken alone, covered in cold sweat, fear seeping into her skin and corrupting her mind and heart and filling her mouth with a sickeningly bitter taste.


	18. Loneliness

Jack sat with Sandy at a tea table made of golden sand, floating on a platform of sand high above the clouds. Sandy poured them both tea before sitting back happily. Jack picked up his cup and glanced inside, only to find that there was golden sand instead of tea. With a forced smile, he brought the cup to his lips and drank, pleasantly surprised when the sand tasted and felt like honey in his mouth.

"So, Sandy, have you found anything that can help Elsa?" Jack asked, wiping his mouth and putting the cup down.

Sandy sighed and created a moon in his hands.

"I know, I know, it's up to Manny, but you know Manny best. Couldn't you put in a good word or—or something?"

Sandy created an image of Elsa and Pitch, and Jack frowned.

"What about them?" He asked concernedly.

Pitch's sand form swirled around Elsa's, creating a whirlwind of sand that engulfed her and forced her to her knees. She clutched her head as Pitch stopped, standing behind her. He raised his arms, and thin columns of sand rose around Elsa, creating a cage as the columns combined above her head, creating towers and spires like those of Arendelle's palace.

Jack watched sadly as Elsa's form clutched the bars that contained her, and he reached out as though to comfort the tiny sand form. Before he could, Sandy collapsed the image, and the sand disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"I won't let that happen to her." Jack said firmly. "We've defeated Pitch before, and we can do it again."

Sandy frowned worriedly, but Jack assured him, "I'm sure we can."

Glancing up at the moon, Jack said, "I should start heading back. It was good seeing you again, Sandy."

Sandy offered a small smile and tipped his hat as Jack stood. He jumped off the sand platform, and the wind whisked him away. He'd been gone much longer than he'd expected or wanted, but the information he'd gathered was inconclusive. There was no sure solution, and one of the only solutions he had depended solely on Manny.

As he flew, his eyelids began to droop, and he yawned loudly. Perhaps it was some sleep sand that had clung to his clothes, but he was exhausted. He dipped down below the clouds, searching for a place to doze. He found a small grove of trees and landed softly, making sure not to disturb anyone or anything around him. He hadn't seen anyone, and the chances of anyone seeing him were slim, but he'd rather not risk it.

Settling down against the trunk of one of the wider trees, he closed his eyes. His breathing steadied as he slipped into Sandy's realm.

He dreamt of returning to Elsa with a solution. He knocked on her window eagerly, a smile wide on his face. But she didn't open her window. She didn't even hear him tapping. He knocked louder and harder, but she still didn't acknowledge his presence. He frowned, squinting as he peered into her room. Suddenly, he gasped, his heart plummeting as he backed away from the window. It couldn't be true…

He pressed himself to the window, peering inside as he watched Elsa laughing softly, wrapping her arms around a man's neck. Jealously and heartbreak pulsed through his veins as he watched the man lean down as kiss Elsa's neck and shoulders, running his fingers through Elsa's hair just as Jack used to.

Suddenly, he realized that she was wearing a white, lacy gown. A long, delicate veil lay draped over the armchair where he used to sit, and on Elsa's finger was a wedding ring. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that the image before him would disappear once he opened them again. But when he opened his eyes, the man was leading Elsa back to her bed as he undid the ties on the back of her dress. Jack's eyes widened and his breathing became heavy as he tried to process what was happening.

He felt himself lose control of the wind beneath him, and he plummeted down. Just before he hit the ground, he sat up, gasping and panting as he took in where he was. His hands and ankles were bound, and a tightly tied gag bit into the corners of his mouth. Looking around frantically, he saw that he was flying, but he wasn't in North's sleigh.

"Welcome back, Jack." A sickeningly familiar voice said.

"Pitch." Jack tried to say, but the gag muffled any sound. Pitch frowned quizzically before saying, "Oh, the gag? My apologies, but I couldn't have you screaming for help when you awoke. Did you have a nice sleep?"

Jack glared at him, and Pitch smiled and said, "Now, now, Jack. We both know that's what you've feared all this time you've been away. The longer you've stayed away, the greater the fear has grown. It's actually been a great help for me, you know. It's given Elsa some time to recognize her own fears about herself and about you. You see, Jack, she's not going to leave Arendelle. It doesn't matter what you tell her; she'll always fear her powers, hurting you, and—heaven forbid—hurting her dear sister. And between leaving and staying, she knows that staying will keep you safe from harm and her powers firmly contained. Until, of course, the storm inside her erupts into full-blown chaos once more. And to think, none of this might've happened had you stayed, so I suppose I have you to thank."

Jack tried to attack Pitch, but all he managed to do was trip over himself and fall, hitting his chin hard against the floor of the chariot. He groaned, and Pitch crooned, "Oh, Jack, you knew it wouldn't last, didn't you? This little fling with Elsa? After all, what place does fun have in the life of a monster?"

Jack roared, trying to attack Pitch again, but Pitch just kicked him back. His head collided with the side of the chariot, and he passed out.

When Jack awoke, he was in a cage in Pitch's underground cave. His head was pounding, and his vision blurred as he sat up. Pitch was nowhere to be seen, and Jack's staff was gone as well. Rattling the cage, he heard and felt no weaknesses. Sighing heavily, he sat back, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Days passed without any sign of Pitch. There was only the steady drip of water from elsewhere in the extensive network of caverns and the barest bit of light that filtered in from above. Hunger gnawed at his belly, but he knew that he could survive much worse than starvation. What he didn't know if he could survive was the lingering fear that Pitch was right. It ate away at him in the ever-present silence and darkness, leaving tension and worry in every fiber of his being. But even worse, it reminded him of how alone he was.

For the first time since becoming a Guardian, his connection with Manny was blocked, and even the promise of returning to Elsa was beginning to fade. Did she miss him? Did she even care? Or had she moved on? With a man who could rule beside her like Jack never could. He missed her terribly and worried about her safety, but for the first time, the concern that she might have forgotten him crossed his mind. And if she forgot about him, would she forget about the freedom he'd helped her discover? Would the strength from that freedom fade and allow darkness and fear to seep in to replace it?

* * *

**Author's Note: Hello, again! Thanks again for the favorites/follows; they're very encouraging. I've been going back and fixing some of the things that I put in when I originally wrote this, and I'd like to thank the anonymous reviewer who pointed out Elsa's characterization to me. It made me think about how I've been interpreting and imagining Elsa, and I understand that my interpretation of her character probably varies from yours. **

**On Elsa: She's an incredibly complex character, which makes me love and hate writing for her. She's very dutiful to her kingdom and to her sister, but the palace at Arendelle holds dark memories for her, and I feel as though she would have trouble staying there. Also, there's another very large factor behind the fear and anxiety that is keeping her there, which I tried to clarify in this chapter. I hope I've done her character as well as the others justice in this story. Please feel free to leave feedback! It really helps me. Thanks again for reading. :)**

**Yours, Calypso**


	19. Chaos

The nightmares returned consistently over the next few nights, each more terrible than the last. Elsa tried to stay strong, but her fear for Jack quickly degenerated into a fear of herself as her powers began to flare up more and more due to her anxiety about Jack. The vicious cycle gnawed away at Elsa, and she began turning away meals and shutting herself inside her room more and more. She would talk to the Man in the Moon for hours, trying to convince herself that everything would be alright despite the gnawing fear growing in her belly.

A week passed, and one morning, when Anna went to visit her sister, she found Elsa lying on her bed, the sheets flung back and a small snowstorm falling on top of her. Elsa stared up at the small cloud with pained eyes, and she only looked away when Anna asked worriedly, "Elsa, are you alright?"

"I haven't been sleeping well, and the heat is worse than ever." Elsa said tiredly. "I'll be up in a few minutes. Don't worry—it's fine."

"It doesn't sound fine. Is this about Jack? Is he here?" Anna asked, looking around hopefully.

"No, he still hasn't returned." Elsa said, and Anna's face dropped. She knew that his absence was causing her sister anguish, and it pained her to see Elsa so upset. Elsa concealed it the best she could, but Anna could tell that Elsa missed him. She was overjoyed that her sister had found someone—no one deserved love more than her sister after all those years of solitude and loneliness—but she could see fear creeping back into her sister's eyes. Fear for the kingdom, fear for Jack, fear for Anna, fear for herself, and she wished she could do something to help.

"Oh," she said softly. "I'm sorry, Elsa. I'm sure he's on his way back right now."

"I just hope he's safe." Elsa said, and Anna said, "Should I tell the council that you need to postpone the meeting?"

"No, no," Elsa sighed, sitting up and pushing some hair out of her face. "I'm up."

"Are you sure? I mean, I could—" Anna began, overeager to help.

"Anna, _I'm fine_." Elsa said, her voice coming out sharper than she'd intended. Anna backed away instinctively, and Elsa's heart ached at the reminder that she was still dangerous, and both she and Anna knew it.

"I'll wait outside." Anna said softly, slipping out of the room. _Maybe she just needs some space. I shouldn't have barged in on her. I'll have to knock next time._ After all, the last thing she wanted was to upset Elsa further by starting an argument. "Just let me know if you need anything, alright?"

"Anna, wait, I—" Elsa began, but Anna was already gone. Sighing, Elsa pulled herself out of bed and changed out of her night slip into her day dress with a wave of her hand. But for the first time, the sheer, cool fabric felt itchy and uncomfortable against her skin. She squirmed slightly, trying to shake off the disconcerting feeling. This was hers. She created it. It should feel _perfect_. And yet, standing in front of the full-length mirror, she felt tension grinding into her being, discomfort hanging in the air, and fear seeping into her bones. It made her want to tear at her hair or smash the mirror or do _something_ other than wait. _Anything _other than wait.

She ground her teeth, her eyes narrowing as she stared at herself in the mirror. Snow began to blow around her room, and a winter wind picked up, scattering papers as it gained power. Her hands clenched into fists as the wind ripped at the curtains and the windows banged open. She heard a sharp cracking sound, and she gasped, stumbling forward and gripping the mirror's edges tightly as she closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the cool glass. The winds died down, and the snow suddenly dropped to the ground, melting quickly in the summer heat. Panting slightly, she opened her eyes and stared at her disheveled hair, sickly pallor, and harried eyes.

"Don't let them see…" she whispered to her reflection. Standing up straight and backing away from the mirror, she forced herself to ignore the frozen marks where her hands had been on the cool metal frame of the mirror. Straightening her dress and running her fingers through her hair, she took a calming breath and pinned her shoulders back as she said in a deadpan voice, "Don't feel, Elsa…conceal it."

Suddenly, the rage and fear bled out of her, replaced by a cold apathy that just barely kept it all at bay. But just barely was better than nothing.

Walking calmly to the door, she opened it and said, "Come, Anna. It's time to go meet the Council."

"Elsa?" Anna asked worriedly, wary of her sister's sudden change.

"Come." Elsa commanded, beginning to walk down the hall. Anna watched her sadly for a moment before following behind meekly. This was all too familiar, and Anna was fearful of this trend.

Once Elsa was seated in the council room, the meeting began. As soon as the first words left Councilor Bryne's mouth, Anna winced.

"My queen, it has come to our attention that several princes and kings of neighboring have sent you marriage proposals."

Elsa's eyes darkened slightly, and her lips thinned as she said coolly, "And what would you have me do?"

Slightly flustered at the topic and the queen's sudden coldness, Bryne cleared his throat awkwardly and continued, "Well, you must think about the future of Arendelle. The royal line must continue, and, of course, it would only be proper for you to marry another noble."

"Of course." Elsa said shortly.

"A-and it would be preferable if it was to a noble of higher status, such as a king or prince, to expand Arendelle and form a powerful alliance." Bryne finished weakly.

"I see. I will consider it." Elsa said, the words sticking heavily to the roof of her mouth. Beckoning a servant over, she murmured, "Bring me a glass of water."

"Yes, my queen." The servant said before hurrying away. With a sidelong glance, Anna took in her sister's clenched fists underneath the table and the frost slowly creeping up the arms and legs of her chair. She wished she could offer a comforting word or gesture, but Elsa's eyes were focused solely forward. All she could do was signal for the council to move on to the next topic, but one of them found a way to ignore her obvious gestures.

"Queen Elsa, you must keep in mind that you _are_ twenty-two. Many young women are married by your age." Anders, one of the older council members, said.

"I said, I will consider it." Elsa said slowly, in a dangerously calm voice. The council members exchanged nervous glances and continued with business as usual, fearful of the queen's tense temper and the ice that was slowly making its way down the table's surface.

After the meeting, Anna caught up with Elsa and said, "Look, we can figure out how to tell them about Jack whenever you want. Maybe when he returns?"

"Maybe." Elsa said tiredly. "I'm sorry, Anna, but I need to talk to Farnes about the next harvest."

"I'll meet you for supper?" Anna asked hopefully, but Elsa shook her head.

"I think I'll take supper in my chambers tonight. Alone." She said, turning down a different hallway and leaving her sister to stand there, watching her. Anna's stared sadly after her sister, and she bit her lip worriedly when she noticed a pair of light blue, translucent gloves covering her sisters hands.

Late that evening, Elsa lay curled up in her bed, her hair loose and her day dress replaced with her night slip. She stared up at the Man in the Moon, running her fingers over the heavy fabric of her old teal gloves. Her heart felt like lead in her chest, and salty tears made their way down her cheeks.

"How long did you think it would last?" She whispered to herself, rolling onto her back and turning to stare at the canopy of her bed. She reached over to her nightstand to set the gloves down, but her fingers brushed against Jack's roses. Picking up one of the roses, she ran her fingers over the delicate petals and sighed.

"Very good, Elsa…very good," a man's voice said softly from the darkest corner of her room. She gasped, scrambling out of bed and setting the rose down behind her as she took up a defensive position.

"Who are you?" She demanded, squinting slightly as she tried to make out a face behind the voice. But all she could see was a shadow. It began to move, pacing along the walls of her room as the same hauntingly soft voice continued on, "You knew it wouldn't last. You knew it all along. Because you're _different_. You're _dangerous_."

"Stop it." She snapped, slowly moving along with the shadow to keep it squarely in front of her.

"Stop what? Stop telling the truth? Oh, but Elsa…that's what you wanted. The truth behind your terrible curse. The truth behind why your parents shut you out. Why you were forced to shut the world out. But you've known it from the very first time you hurt Anna."

"I said, _stop it!_" she growled, attacking the shadow. But it just continued its fluid journey along her bedroom wall, leaving the frost on the wall behind it.

"And then Jack came along…" the shadow continued, slowly peeling away from the wall and taking the form of a tall, spidery man with a hook nose and piercing golden eyes that seemed to stare directly into her soul. "Oh, Jack, playful Jack, ignored, forgotten, conflicted Jack…he's always taken a liking to dangerous things, especially pretty little dangerous things, just like you."

"Who are you?" Elsa asked again, her eyes narrowing as she felt her powers tingling in her fingertips.

"Me? I'm you. I'm the part of you that you've struggled with your entire life. I'm the crawling beneath your skin, the nightmares that shake you from your sleep…I'm fear." The man said as he pulled out a golden tube from his robes. On the circular end, it had a picture of her face as a child. He opened it and said in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Look at that—your childhood memories. All that fear, all that chaos _raging_ inside of you. And it's still there, right beneath your skin."

He stepped forward, reaching out as though to prod her on the chest. Immediately, she froze the ground at his feet, creating jagged spikes emanating from the floor aimed at his chest. Tsking, he said, "Now, now, that's no way to treat a bedfellow. After all, Elsa, I _am _fear, but you're a special kind of fear. You're _chaos_. What could make a better partnership? Jack was a distraction, so was Anna, but what could be done? Besides remove them, of course."

"Where have you taken them?" Elsa demanded, firing two blasts of ice at Pitch. He easily dodged them, disappearing into the shadows and reappearing behind her. She gasped, stumbling back into the nightstand. The vase holding Jack's roses tipped over, shattering along with the ice. Her heart sank as her grief fueled her fury, and she attacked viciously, freezing or destroying parts of her rooms without a second thought. Icicles sliced through the air, sharp spikes scratched the wooden furniture, and blasts of pure frozen energy froze entire sections of her wall.

Pitch evaded her attacks, taunting her all the while.

"That's right, Elsa, give in to chaos and fear. Let it control you. Let it dominate your movements, your thoughts, your _life_." He said, laughing darkly as he appeared behind her once more. He opened his mouth to continue, but an ice-cold hand caught his throat before he could utter a single word. His golden eyes widened in surprise as Elsa tightened her grip, frost spreading from her hand and freezing his shoulders and arms into place. She snarled at him, her mind filled with screams of anger and rage.

"_Where. Are. They._" She said in a dangerously calm voice, barely louder than a whisper. A small, strangled sound escaped Pitch's throat, and she pushed the ice further down his arms, relishing the complete control of her lifelong enemy. She had both hands on his throat now, and as she pushed Pitch to his knees, blood pounded in her ears and she glared down at his wide eyes until a single voice broke through the frozen fury in her mind.

_It's not just about control._

Her eyes widened in realization of what she was doing, and her grip loosened. Immediately, Pitch disappeared, slipping into the shadows and fleeing out the window.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hello! Sorry for the delay on this chapter and for any future delays; I'm a bit bogged down by schoolwork right now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to leave a review. :)**

**Yours, Calypso**


	20. Chase and Battle

Without a second thought, Elsa leapt out the window after him, creating a firm path of ice beneath her feet for her to skate along. She followed the shadow as it fled through Arendelle's streets, traveling by rooftop until she reached the gates. She followed the shadow across the water, squinting to keep it in her sights as it tried to lose her in the dark depths of the water. But she froze portions of the river below the surface, forcing the shadow to stay close.

Finally, it broke the surface and zipped through the forest with Elsa close on its tail. She followed it, dodging tree branches and bushes as the shadow tried to shake her off. Her legs burned as the chase continued, but she refused to let it escape.

As the moon reached the height of its journey that night, Elsa reached the end of hers. The shadow disappeared down a deep hole in the ground, and Elsa knelt by the side, frowning as she picked up a sizeable rock and tossed it down. Echoed clinks reached her ears as the rock hit the side of the hole on its way down, but it took over a minute for her to hear the final clatter as it hit the ground.

Taking a deep breath, she jumped, shooting ice to create ledges for her to land on as she made her descent. But as the moonlight gave way to the darkness below, she missed slightly as she created another ledge, and she slipped, shrieking as she fell the rest of the way down. The air flew out of her lungs as she hit the ground, and she groaned as she forced herself to sit up. Her head ached, and her vision spun for a moment. She stood shakily and looked around. She was in a dark tunnel with broad stalagmites reaching up from the ground. At one end, she saw pale silver light shining down in beams from above—barely enough to make the cavern ahead visible. She walked forward cautiously and gasped.

The cavern held dozens upon dozens of dark metal cages hanging from the ceiling. Most were empty, only adding to the eeriness of the seemingly deserted cave. A large globe took the center spotlight, sporting flickering golden lights on every continent. The ground in front of her dropped off, and she hesitated for a moment before she gathered an icy wind at her feet and propelled herself forward and up, clinging onto the bars of one of the cages for a moment before using the winds to push her to the next one. The entire cavern was filled with shadows, but she'd prefer to stand in one of the moonbeams if she was going to fight Pitch.

"Elsa!" She heard Jack cry, and her eyes snapped up to another cage above her where she saw Jack crouching.

"Jack!" She said, smiling in relief that he was alright. She leapt up to his cage and clung on as he smiled at her and reached through the bars to cup her cheeks.

"Elsa, I'm so sorry. Pitch and his Nightmares ambushed me in the forest while I was asleep."

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Elsa asked concernedly, and he gently stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"No, don't worry about me, O.K.? You _have_ to get out of here. Pitch flew by just minutes before you arrived, and he took Anna deeper within the cavern. He's going to try and—"

"Now, now, Jack, it's rude to talk about people behind their backs," Pitch said, his voice echoing around the cavern and making it impossible to discern its origin. A shadow passed over them, and they looked up only to see it disappear back down as Pitch continued, "You know, I used to think your love for each other was a distraction. Now I see that it only makes me stronger. I can feel your fear. Both of you…you fear for each other. And that makes you _weak_."

"Really? Because I've never felt stronger." Elsa said, her eyes narrowing as she followed the shadows movements along the walls.

"We'll see about that," Pitch said, and suddenly hundreds of Nightmares erupted from the shadows, charged from all sides at Elsa. Their eyes burned like liquid gold, and their sharpened teeth snapped at the air in anticipation of their next victim. Elsa's eyes widened, and she dropped to dodge them, slamming into another cage before she could create a wind underneath her. She flew between the cages, dodging and ducking them as she flung spears of ice over her shoulder at the Nightmares. When they hit the Nightmares, the ice would instantly freeze them, making them fall to the ground and shatter.

Keeping one hand free to control the wind beneath her feet, Elsa used her other to continue the barrage of ice on the Nightmares. As she turned to look back, one of the Nightmares barged into her side, knocking her out of the air. She tumbled down, knocking into the cages and screaming as the Nightmares descended on her.

"Elsa!" Jack screamed helplessly from his cage.

Once again, Elsa hit the ground hard, her body aching from where it had hit the cages. But just as the Nightmares were about to reach her, she growled, releasing a hailstorm from within her and blowing the Nightmares back as thorns of ice lodged in their coats. The hail grew larger and the thorns turned to sharpened icicles, impaling the Nightmares and freezing them as they fled.

Pitch drew forth a new wave of Nightmares from the shadows, but Elsa just snarled, her stance wide and the hailstorm whipping around her like a force field. No matter how many Nightmares tried to converge on her, they were tossed about like puppets in the powerful storm Elsa controlled. When one got too close, she'd impale it with an icicle with a flick of her wrist. Soon the ground was littered with shattered pieces of frozen Nightmares, and eventually Pitch ceased the attack, stepping out of the shadows and stopping his Nightmares with a flash of his eyes.

"Love doesn't make me fearful," Elsa said over the wind whipping around her. "Love makes me free. You don't have any power here, Pitch."

"We'll see about that," Pitch said darkly, but when he tried to approach Elsa, ice dug into his skin and the frigid wind pushed him back. He growled menacingly, but Elsa smirked and said, "Your reign of terror is over."

With a push of her hand, she sent Pitch flying back into the wall. He crumpled to the ground, his skin frozen over with a thin layer of frost. Shivering, he fled into the shadows, and what remained of his Nightmares followed suit.


	21. Reunion

Elsa flew back up to Jack's cage, and he gushed, "Elsa, that was incredible."

She blushed and said, "Thank you. Did Pitch keep a key for your cage?"

"I think so. He took my staff when he kidnapped me, and this cage has stifled my powers, so I haven't been able to do anything," Jack said as Elsa froze the lock on his cage. She conjured up a block of ice and slammed it down on the lock repeatedly, continuing to blow frozen air across the metal until it became so brittle that it broke. She tossed the lock aside and opened the door. Jack zipped out and stretched before pulling Elsa into a tight hug. She hugged him back, smiling as she inhaled deeply. She'd missed everything about him—from his warm hugs, to the way he would tenderly run his fingers through her hair, just like was doing now; from his electric eyes to the way he smelled like the first snow of the season—everything.

"I missed you so much," he murmured into her ear.

"I missed you, too," she said, burying her face in his sweatshirt. Forcing herself to pull away, she said, "Come on, let's find Anna and your staff."

They held hands as they flew through the deeper parts of the cavern. Neither had any idea of how the caverns were shaped, so they were forced to check each branch of the cavern. They stayed wary of the shadows, but Pitch seemed to have deserted his underground fortress.

"Anna?" Elsa called, but only echoed drops of water replied. Finally, another large room opened up, and they found Anna lying with her eyes closed in a large cage that sat at the center of the room. Jack's staff was on the floor beside her.

Anna's cage was built of the same material as Jack's, and they worked together to shatter the lock. As soon as the lock fell away, Elsa rushed inside and checked for a pulse before saying with a sigh of relief, "She's alright. She's just asleep."

"Here, I can carry her," Jack said, scooping Anna up. "Come on, the people at the palace must be getting worried about you two."

They flew back together, Jack carefully carrying Anna as Elsa led him back along the trail of ice she'd created on her way there. As the sun peaked over the horizon, flooding the world with pink hues and soft light, they flew through Arendelle's gates.

Elsa led Jack to Anna's bedroom window, and they carefully sneaked in. Jack set Anna down on the bed, and Elsa asked, "Did she see you or Pitch?"

"I…I don't know. She might have, but Pitch can disappear into shadows. She might have never seen him at all. By the time I saw her, she was unconscious," he said apologetically.

"What about when she wakes up? Do you think she'll be able to see you?"

"I can't say. Anything's possible, I suppose," Jack said, trying not to let her down. "You should probably get back to your chambers. You must be exhausted."

"I'm more awake than ever," she insisted as she stifled a yawn. He smiled, taking her hand and saying, "Let's go back to your chambers."

Once they were back in the privacy of her chambers, Jack embraced Elsa again, this time planting a kiss on her forehead and sending shivers down her spine.

"Are you cold?" he murmured, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Maybe a little," she admitted softly. He pulled away, pulling his sweatshirt up over his head and revealing his bare chest and stomach. Elsa blushed as she took in his thin yet leanly muscled frame, and Jack handed her his sweatshirt with a slight grin on his face.

"What?" he asked as she fumbled with his sweatshirt. He helped her find the opening and pull it on over her head. He smiled and said, "It looks good on you."

"I didn't realize you didn't wear anything underneath this," she said, her cheeks burning.

"People have a tendency not to wear anything under their clothes," he said, chuckling and making her blush even more. She wrapped her arms around herself, loving the feel of the soft, gentle fabric of his sweatshirt against her arms. He placed his hands lightly on her waist and drew her closer to him as he murmured, "Was Pitch telling the truth before?"

"About what?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

"About you loving me?" he asked, and she nodded. He smiled and leaned in so that their foreheads were touching as he said, "Good, because I love you, too."

He moved to kiss her, but he felt her squirm slightly and he stopped, asking concernedly, "What's wrong?"

"It's just…it's improper. I mean, you're a Guardian, and I'm just a human, and besides, we're not married or even engaged and—"

"Would it make a difference if we were?" he asked, and she frowned confusedly.

"If we were what?"

"Elsa…I've thought about this for a long time, now, and you're…you're wonderful. Simply wonderful, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you as more than just a traveling companion. Elsa, will you marry me?" he asked, conjuring a delicate ice ring out of thin air.

"Jack," she breathed, her eyes wide with surprise. She searched his eyes, and she found only love within them—love that mirrored her own. "What about the Guardians?"

"I talked to Manny and the Guardians, and they all think it's time that a new Guardian joins our ranks. You've more than proved your mettle against Pitch, and you know more about the struggle to find freedom than anyone I've ever met. Freedom from fear and oppression and loneliness. And Elsa, I love you. Even if they had said no, I'd still stay with you."

"What about Anna? If I became a Guardian, I'd never be able to see her again."

"No, of course you would," he assured her gently. "We could come and visit her and Kristoff and Sven and Olaf whenever you want."

"But she'd age, and I'd stay like this," Elsa said sadly.

"I know, but you'd still be together. Only you'd finally be free," he said, and she bit her lip, her brow knitted together.

"Jack…" she said softly, meeting his blue eyes. "Make me a promise, instead."

He nodded for her to continue, and she said, "Promise me that we'll always believe in each other, that we'll always take care of each other and—"

She stopped when Jack started chuckling.

"What?" she demanded. How could he laugh at such a serious moment?

"Elsa, isn't that what marriage is?" he asked, and her cheeks warmed slightly.

"If it is, then, yes, I'll marry you," she said with a small smile, and he leaned in and kissed her as he slipped the ring onto her finger. She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, running her fingers over his bare shoulders and back. She'd never kissed anyone before and was more than a little nervous, but she couldn't imagine wanting anyone else's kisses. He was nervous, too, and she could feel it in delicateness of how his lips touched hers. He pulled away, and he met her eyes, nervousness apparent in his own. Seeing her smile at him, he smiled back and kissed her again, this time wrapping his arms around her and leaning into their kiss.

She felt her heart blossoming after all its years locked away in its icy prison, and she melted into him, resting one hand on his bare chest and gently stroking his cheek with her other as they kissed.

He pulled away a fraction of an inch, opening his eyes and taking her in, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. The rising sun shone beams of pink and gold light on her face, framing and highlighting her beautiful blue eyes and soft pink lips that were curled up into a smile.

"What is it?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.

"Elsa…" he breathed, unable to stop smiling. He kissed her again, murmuring her name between kisses. He began to kiss along her jaw and down her neck, and she ran her fingers through his hair and whispered breathily, "Jack…Jack, I love you."

Without another word, their eyes met, and Jack kissed her lips again, this pulling her towards the bed. They fell back onto the soft mattress, soft laughter mixing with tender kisses and breathy confessions of love.

* * *

**Author's Note: I feel as though I have procrastinated sufficiently for the night, so I will make this brief. I apologize if my romance writing is not up to snuff; I have little experience, but the only way to get better at writing is to write. Please feel free to critique and review-it would help a lot, and I'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you for reading! :)**

**Yours, Calypso**


	22. Blind

Elsa snuggled against Jack's chest, breathless from Jack's amorous kisses. She ran her fingers down his chest slowly tracing the lines of his muscles as she reached up to kiss his neck gently. He smiled at her, wishing they could stay like that forever. He took her hand in his, gently intertwining their fingers as he kissed her. Snow gently fell down on them, covering them with a soft blanket.

She pulled away, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes tiredly. He kissed her forehead, and within seconds, she was asleep. Jack wrapped his arms around her, and closed his eyes. The sun had risen, and he could hear people bustling about on the streets below, but he wouldn't let them interrupt their little world.

She'd been shy at first, reluctant to let him touch her, hesitant to touch him. He'd been scared, too; he'd never been so close to anyone before, and the last thing he wanted was to frighten her away. But slowly she opened up to him, and he to her until they were no longer two of a kind—they were one.

Later that morning, Elsa awoke to find Jack's arms wrapped around her. Her head was nestled in the crook of his neck, and her entire body ached—_probably from slamming into all of those cages last night_, she thought.

Suddenly, she saw that the sun was high in the sky, and she shook Jack, hissing, "Jack, wake up!"

"Mm? What?" he murmured, still half-asleep.

"Someone could walk in and see us," she said, but he refused to move. Instead, he kissed her forehead and said, "Tell me to move, then."

"Jack…" she chided, rolling onto her side. He smiled, keeping one arm around her as he repositioned himself and kissed the nape of her neck gently. Unable to stop smiling, she said in a breathy whisper, "Jack…"

"Elsa?" Anna asked, knocking in a rhythmic pattern before opening the door, Elsa blushed bright red, pulling the covers up around her as she asked hurriedly, "Are you alone?"

"Yeah," she said as she walked in.

"Sorry," Anna said quickly, averting her eyes as Elsa conjured up her day dress. When she looked back, she seemed oblivious to Jack's presence. Elsa glanced back and forth between them before asking slowly, "Did you have any strange dreams last night?"

"I did. It was really odd, actually. There were these black horses with golden eyes, and I remember something about cages. I wonder what that's supposed to mean," she said curiously.

"Anything else?" Elsa asked.

"No, why? Should I remember something else?" Anna asked.

"No, no, it's…it's nothing," Elsa said, sitting up and sliding her legs out of bed.

"Oh my goodness, Elsa!" Anna gasped, clearly horrified. "What happened to you?"

"Hm?" Elsa asked confusedly. She looked down to see that her arms and legs were covered in bruises, and she quickly said, "I, um, fell. A bit hard. Down the main staircase. At night."

"You should have the court physician look at you. Come on," Anna insisted, grabbing her sister's wrist and pulling her out of the room. Elsa looked back helplessly at Jack, but he just said, "Go. I'll see you tonight."

After they left, Jack sighed heavily and fell back on the pillows. The air in the cramped room felt frustrated and unforgiving, as though it was angry with Jack for helping Elsa flout her new freedom in her old prison.

Still, the winds of fate kept one thing from them. Anna still couldn't see him. He hadn't expected things to change; her experience with Pitch had been traumatizing, and it was only natural that her mind would convince her that it was all a dream. Still, he was disappointed. He didn't want to make Elsa choose between them, but if Anna couldn't see him, there was no way the three of them could spend time together.

He ran his fingers through his hair, smiling slightly at the memory of Elsa fervently running her fingers through his hair as he'd kissed her. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes and taking in the scent of vanilla. Lying there with his eyes closed, surrounded by the soft scent, he could almost pretend that he was still wrapped in Elsa's gentle embrace.

Finally, he sat up, pulling on his clothes and getting out of bed. He stretched, his body sore. _Probably from sitting in that cage for so long_, he thought. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and picked up his staff. Looking around her room, he saw a portrait of a man who resembled Anna. He held a scepter and a jeweled orb like the one he'd seen Elsa holding at her coronation. _He must be their father_, he thought to himself. Elsa never talked about her parents except when Jack pressed the point, but even then she'd try to change the topic quickly.

As he stared up at the man, fury built up inside him. He was the one who originally convinced her that she was a monster, that she was a danger to others, that she didn't deserve love of any kind. As angry as Jack was with Pitch for worsening Elsa's fear until it became a raging storm inside her, he was furious with her father for making her feel fear from the start. _How could a father do that?_ He wondered in disgust. _How could he alienate his own daughter? Shut her out and push her away? Deny her love and force her to hide her powers?_

Too upset to stay in her room any longer, he left. Still, he didn't feel like returning to North's workshop or Tooth's palace, and, strangely, he wasn't in the mood for a snow day. After wandering around the halls for a few minutes, he decided to find Elsa.

He'd never been to any other room in the palace besides Elsa's, and it was only by sheer coincidence that he stumbled upon the physician's room. A middle-aged man with a receding hairline tended to Elsa, making sure that none of her bones were broken.

When she saw him, her eyes widened, and she quickly assured the physician that she was fine. He tried to protest, but she shook her head and politely asked him to step outside.

"Elsa, are you feeling alright?" Anna asked worriedly. "I'm really sorry for walking in on you without asking yesterday."

"Anna, I'm not angry at you," Elsa assured her sister. "I just…"

She sighed, her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out how to tell her sister about Jack's presence. Anna watched worriedly, and Jack said, "Elsa, adults rarely see me."

"But I told her about you," Elsa said, looking at him and meeting his eyes. Anna frowned in confusion, worried that Elsa had suffered a concussion when she'd fallen. "Shouldn't that count for something? She _wants_ to believe."

"Elsa?" Anna asked carefully. "Who are you talking to?"

"I'm talking to Jack," Elsa sighed, and Anna's eyes widened.

"Wait, really?" she asked excitedly. "He came back? Elsa, why didn't you tell me? Where is he?"

"He's right there," Elsa said, pointing at Jack. Anna followed her finger and frowned as she stared at him.

"But…" Anna said softly. "Why can't I see him? I…I want to see him."

"I don't know," Elsa said, shaking her head. "I thought you'd be able to."

"What does it take for people to see you?" Anna asked, looking in Jack's general direction.

"For children? It takes belief. But I've never met an adult who can see me besides Elsa," Jack replied, and Elsa repeated his words.

"But I believe in you, Jack," Anna said, her brow furrowed. "Why isn't that enough?"

"It's different with adults. They've been taught not to believe anymore; they were told it was childish and they forgot. After you lose that pure childhood belief, it's hard to get it back." Jack said, and once again Elsa acted as their medium.

"So why can Elsa see you?" Anna asked. "Is it because you were her imaginary friend?"

Elsa's face flushed bright red, and Jack chuckled.

"What?" Jack asked, playfully raising his eyebrow at Elsa.

Elsa quickly said, "Nothing," but Anna gushed, "Whenever we were little, she always asked our mother to tell us stories about you, and before the accident, she always used to tell me how she was going to grow up and marry you, and how you two were going to rule the snow and ice together."

Elsa covered her face with her hands to hide her embarrassment, but Jack just laughed. Playfully jumping onto the physician's table, he crouched before Elsa and asked, "Really?"

"She's exaggerating a bit," Elsa mumbled through her hands, still refusing to show her face. Jack laughed, pulling her hands away and kissing her. Anna frowned in confusion until she realized what was happening, and then she turned away to give them some privacy.

Jack pulled away and said, "Well then, don't tell me the truth because I like the exaggeration."

They heard a knock at the door, and Bryne poked his head and said, "Your majesties, the council meeting was scheduled to start five minutes ago. Everyone's waiting for you."

"Of course. We'll be right there," Elsa said, standing up. She and Anna walked out the door, and Jack followed them. Elsa glanced at him in alarm, but she couldn't say anything with Bryne around.

"What? I'm just tagging along. You always ask me about how I spend my time, but you rarely tell me about these sort of things," he said, smiling easily. "Don't worry. I won't cause too much trouble."

She raised her eyebrow skeptically, but he laughed, taking her hand and saying, "Come on, it'll be fun to see what you do."

It only took ten minutes for Jack to change his mind. As he walked around the table, glancing over councilors' shoulders to see what they were reading, he said, "I don't know how you stand this. Don't you ever get bored sitting in this dreary room and listening to these guys?"

She rubbed her eyes tiredly, trying to concentrate on what Farnes was saying about the harvest.

"Your majesty, there is some concern about the crop yield. The frost earlier this year may have been lifted from the land, but it damaged a significant number of fields," Farnes, an elderly man said. His grey hair was tied back with a green velvet ribbon, and thick glasses rested on the bridge of his nose. "We have, of course, opened the coffers, but there is concern that it will not be enough."

"Will the fields be ready for the next planting season?" Elsa asked.

"Yes, but the foremost concern is the winter. If we keep the remaining crops for Arendelle, we will lose one of our main exports."

Elsa sighed heavily, weighing the consequences of every possibility. She couldn't let her people starve, but losing such an important export, even for a short time, would upset the entire economic ecosystem. Suddenly, she noticed Jack making it snow on top of Farnes' head. She swept it away irritably with a flick of her hand, and he pouted playfully at her. She glared at him with an almost imperceptible shake of her head, and he sighed, continuing his laps around the table.

If the councilors thought that the queen's behavior was strange, they didn't comment on it. After several minutes of careful thinking, Elsa finally said, "Is there any way we could split what remains between Arendelle and our trading partners? Surely they would understand; the unexpected winter damaged the crops of many other kingdoms."

"We will send word to them immediately," Farnes said, and the right to speak passed to Anders.

"Your majesty, I know this is a sensitive topic, but I'm afraid we must return to the discussion of marriage," he said, and Jack's head snapped up. "King Adrian of Andalasia has sent multiple letters detailing his interest in you. I know you are adamant about meeting any suitors before making a decision, so we have prepared a letter inviting him to Arendelle."

"What?" Jack asked angrily, storming over to Anders. Anna glanced worriedly at Elsa, who was in turn worriedly watching Jack.

"If you would sign it," Anders said, pulling out a piece of parchment. "It invites him to come to Arendelle in a fortnight. That would give us sufficient time to prepare a feast and ball in his honor."

The parchment was handed down to Elsa, and Jack had to resist the urge to rip it out of Elsa's hands and tear it to shreds.

"Elsa, you aren't really going to sign it, are you?" he asked furiously as she picked up her quill. She didn't look at him, which only infuriated him more. A biting winter wind began to blow as he asked, "What happened to those promises? Did they mean nothing? I thought you said—"

"Jack!" Elsa yelled to silence him, throwing the quill down angrily and splattering ink across the parchment. The councilors stared at her in alarm, and she took a calming breath before rising gracefully and saying, "My apologies, gentlemen, for losing my temper. If you would please allow me a moment in private, it would be greatly appreciated."

The councilors nodded, dumbfounded at what was going on. Elsa walked to the door, turning around in the doorway to give a stern glare at Jack that gave a single command. _Come_.

* * *

**Author's Note: Ah, the downsides to relationships: misunderstandings and arguments. Every relationship must weather such storms, and Jack and Elsa's relationship is no exception. I apologize if this seems too drama-y after the previous battle scenes, but I don't think it would be fair to depict a "perfect" relationship. It wouldn't be fair to Elsa and Jack's characters because I have trouble believing either would easily go along with everything the other does; they might be two of a kind, but their personalities are very different. Also, it hardly seems fair to their relationship because if they never had any sort of conflict, their relationship would never really progress. **

**This is not to say that relationships should be based on conflict. PLEASE don't take me the wrong way on this. I simply mean that they're entering this relationship with several conflicts, and if they never solve them, they'll never get anywhere because they'll push them off indefinitely.**

**As always, thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave critiques/reviews/opinions. They're more than welcome. :)**

**Yours, Calypso**


	23. Solutions

Jack followed obediently, and as soon as they were outside, Elsa grabbed his wrist and yanked him down the hallway and up the staircase. Glancing both ways, she opened the door to an unoccupied bedroom and motioned for him to step inside. He did, and she followed him, closing the door behind her.

Turning to face him, she crossed her arms and said, her voice dangerously calm, "Would you care to explain why you were so upset?"

"They were talking about you marrying someone else while you're wearing an engagement ring on your finger. Why do you think I'd be upset?" he asked sourly. "I'm still upset."

"That doesn't mean you had to start that wind," she said coolly. "I know you're used to being free to use your powers, but this is neither the time nor the place."

"Maybe if you'd been freer with your powers in the past, it would've been," Jack snapped, hitting a raw nerve.

"Jack, I can't afford to let my emotions get the better of me while I'm in that room. When I'm in that room, I need to be fully focused on the stability of Arendelle and the wellbeing of its people," she said angrily. "You seem to forget that until Anna is prepared to rule Arendelle, I must remain here."

"Why?" Jack asked exasperatedly. "You aren't happy here. These walls exhaust you. Why do you stay when you could leave? When you could be free and happy?"

"I stay because I must. Perhaps you wouldn't understand having such responsibility, but I cannot simply walk away from my problems. I can't ignore them and hope they go away. I must face them, and until Anna is ready, I shall," she said adamantly, and he turned away angrily. How dare she insinuate that he didn't know what it meant to hold responsibility? Hadn't he held the responsibility of bringing belief back to the children of the world? Didn't he still hold that responsibility? Slowly, he sighed. The last thing he wanted was to argue with her, but how could she expect that signing that letter wouldn't make him angry?

Elsa sighed to herself, wishing she hadn't been so cross. It hadn't even been three hours since she'd been wrapped in his arms. She knew she shouldn't have tried to brush off signing that letter, but she hadn't expected Jack to explode like that. Perhaps it was a bit of an overreaction on her part as well, but how could he expect that acting like that in the council room wouldn't frustrate her?

"Is this really about me staying here, or is this about King Adrian?" she asked after a moment, and he frowned. He crossed his arms and leaned against the bedpost, muttering, "Of course it's about King Adrian. I know I can't provide you a castle or a kingdom to add to your own, but you said yes, didn't you? Why would you sign that letter?"

"Jack, I didn't sign away my hand in marriage; I promised myself to you, and that's not going to change. I simply invited him here. And when the ball is held and the court is gathered, I will announce that I am renouncing the throne," Elsa said calmly, and Jack's eyes widened in surprise. His mouth worked silently for a few moments before he managed to ask, "Why didn't you tell me, then?"

"Because I thought of it as the letter was being handed to me," she said frankly, and he smiled in relief. "I'm sorry that I snapped at you. I hope you know that I want to go with you."

"I do," he said, walking over to her. "I shouldn't have lost my temper. I just…I was worried that you'd changed your mind."

"And why would I do that?" Elsa asked, taking his hands. She met his gaze, squeezing his hands and saying, "I thought you knew, Jack. I love you. That's not something that will change with the changing of the seasons or the setting of the sun."

"I love you, too," he said, leaning in so that their foreheads touched. She began to reach up to kiss him when the door opened and Bryne poked his head in. Elsa jumped slightly, and Jack instinctively grabbed his staff.

"Your majesty, is everything alright?" Bryne asked.

"Yes, it's more than fine, now," Elsa said, turning around to face him. He smiled and said, "Very good, then. Shall we return?"

"Go ahead without me. I'll be there in a moment," she said, and he left. Turning back to Jack, she said, "You don't have to go back if it bores you."

"Really?" he asked in relief before blushing and saying, "I mean, I should probably visit North's workshop to help start with preparations for the naming of a new Guardian."

"Of course," she said in a playfully mocking tone. She reached up and pecked him on the cheek before saying, "Be careful where you fall asleep this time."

"Only if you're careful about the letters you sign," he said playfully, giving her hand a final squeeze before walking over to the window. He unlatched it and pushed it open, stepping onto the windowsill. He turned back to smile at her before stepping backwards and letting the winds whisk him away. She smiled to herself, shaking her head. He loved to impress her with flying tricks like that. She'd taught herself how to control the winter winds to fly, but she was far from doing any flips or spins in the air.

After the council meeting, Elsa asked Anna to stay and talk to her.

"Is everything alright with you and Jack?" Anna asked worriedly.

"It is, now. Both of us were on edge earlier, and neither of us was very considerate," she said. "He's returned to the North Pole to make some preparations, and that's what I want to talk to you about. You see, when King Adrian arrives and the ball is held, I plan on renouncing the throne and leaving with Jack."

"But that's only a fortnight away!" Anna exclaimed, her eyes widening in panic. "Elsa, I'm not ready!"

"Anna, I assure you, you're more than ready to rule Arendelle. You've attended all of the council meetings, and more than a few times, you've offered solutions that were better than anything I or the other councilors could devise," Elsa said, taking her sister's hand.

"But I'm not ready for you to leave," Anna said softly, and Elsa looked at her sister sadly.

"We'll come and visit whenever you want us to," Elsa promised.

"But will I be able to see you? I can't see Jack even though I believe in him," Anna said fearfully.

"I…" Elsa said hesitantly. "I promise you'll be able to see me."

"Promise?" Anna asked, and Elsa nodded, hoping that she would be able to keep her promise. Anna fell silent for a long time before saying, "I'm really glad you met Jack. He makes you so happy. I just wish…"

"So do I," Elsa said softly. "But I can't stay here."

"I know. I really do, but I...I'm really going miss you," Anna said, her voice breaking. Elsa pulled her into a hug and said tearfully, "I'm going to miss you, too."

After a long time, Anna pulled away, sniffling and saying with a wavering smile, "Well, if you're leaving in a fortnight, I guess we'd better make the most of the time we have. Come on, it's been forever since we made a snowman."

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long to update! I've been really busy with schoolwork, but life's been a bit hectic lately. Thank you for your patience. I hope you enjoy!**

**Yours, Calypso**


	24. Preparations

Jack zipped into North's workshop, landing on the globe and surveying the area for North. One of the Yetis looked up at him curiously, and Jack asked, "Do you know where North is?"

The Yeti pointed to North's office, and Jack nodded his thanks before hopping down off the globe. He entered North's office and found him tinkering with a miniature pogo stick made of ice. The Elves were bouncing around on several others, and Jack cleared his throat over the noise of their hopping. North looked up and beamed.

"Jack! Good to see you again! What is happening?" North asked, putting the pogo stick down.

"Do you remember how I talked to you about the whole new Guardian thing a while back?" Jack asked, and North nodded. "Do you think it could be in a fortnight?"

"Well," North said slowly. "Manny _did_ say he wanted new Guardian. If he marked Elsa out from birth, he must have known she would be Guardian when she was ready."

"But the ceremony and everything—do you think you could have it prepared by then?" Jack asked impatiently.

"Of course," North said cheerfully. "Why a fortnight?"

"Well, that's when Elsa plans on renouncing her throne," Jack said. "And also, that gives me time to figure out how to get her little sister to see us."

"How little?" North asked curiously.

"Well, I mean, not _little _little, more like nineteen little," Jack said hesitantly, and North stared at him in surprise.

"Nineteen? Jack, you know that adults can't see us," North said pragmatically. "Elsa is exception because Manny chose her. You can't expect her sister to see just because Elsa can."

"I know, I know," Jack said. "But isn't there some way to rekindle her belief? She wants to believe; isn't that enough?"

"Wanting to believe and truly believing are very different things," North sighed. "Sandy would be better to ask. Dreams are when people's dormant beliefs roam free; he might know how to help."

"Do you know where he is?" Jack asked, hoping North would be able to provide more specific directions this time. North got up and motioned for Jack to follow him. As they left, the Elves followed them on their pogo sticks.

North consulted the huge globe, pushing a button on his enormous control panel to make it slowly spin. Jack scanned the enormous globe, but he'd never learned what the glowing symbols meant, so he had to wait until North pushed the button again and said, "Just your luck; Sandy is heading towards Arendelle."

North pointed out a moving golden dot making its way across Europe from the Mediterranean, and Jack nodded. He tracked Sandy's path with his eyes before thanking North and taking off.

While Jack flew in search of Sandy, Anna and Elsa made their way out into the courtyard. As they did, they heard a familiar voice cry out, "Anna! Elsa! We were just looking for you!"

They turned to see Olaf sitting atop Sven's head. Kristoff stood beside Sven, and Anna smiled delightedly, saying, "Kristoff! You're back early!"

"Yeah, it turned out that the problem wasn't the sleigh, it was the reindeer, so we gave old Linus a break and had Kai take over for him," Kristoff said. "Are you two busy? I can come back later."

"Well…" Anna said hesitantly, glancing at Elsa.

"We were going to build a snowman," Elsa said. "Do you want to come?"

Anna smiled, and Kristoff nodded. Olaf cheered, filling the rest of their walk with the details of their journey.

"So we passed some people building a new cabin halfway a little ways past the Valley of the Living Rock. They were all talking about something weird that happened last night. Apparently a strange force made the paths in the woods freeze over," Olaf said. Anna raised an eyebrow at Elsa as Olaf continued, "And there was this man dressed in fancy clothes there, too. And he was tall and he talked loud and he kept asking for directions towards Arendelle."

"Oh?" Elsa asked, vaguely interested. It sounded like a nobleman of some sort, but she didn't remember scheduling anyone to visit. Perhaps it was just a traveling merchant; Olaf's descriptions were never that accurate.

They walked into the courtyard, and Elsa took a calming breath before raising her arms and creating a burst of flurries that fell down on the small area. The snow fell heavily, covering the ground in a deep layer of snow within moments. Olaf jumped off Sven's head and began to chase some of the flurries, and Sven began to chase Olaf. The others laughed, and Anna turned to ask Kristoff about the trip when a snowball suddenly hit her hard on the back, making her stumble forward. She turned around to see Elsa grinning as she made three perfectly formed snowballs rotate in midair.

"Now you're asking for it!" Anna said gleefully, reaching down and quickly forming a snowball. She threw it at Elsa, but before it could reach her, Elsa formed a snow-shield that blocked Anna's attack. Giggling, Anna cried, "That's cheating!"

Elsa lowered the shield, laughing. Suddenly, a snowball hit her square in the face, and she blinked, shocked. They both turned to see Kristoff holding four more snowballs in his arms, and Elsa shrieked as he lobbed them at her. Soon, it was a battle with Elsa, Olaf, and her army of snowmen on one side and Sven, Kristoff, and Anna on the other.

Sven tried to defend Kristoff and Anna by kicking off the heads of the snowmen, but they continued to run around blind as they searched for their heads, tripping Kristoff and Anna as they did. Olaf turned into a snowball-hurling machine, lobbing snowballs across the courtyard with ease. Elsa provided him with enough snow to continue his work, and soon Anna and Kristoff were buried under a mountain of snowballs.

Laughing, they poked their heads out, and Anna cried out, "O.K., O.K., you won!"

She got up and slipped, laughing as she fell back into the snow. Elsa laughed walking over to her and offering her a hand up. Anna took it, but instead of letting Elsa pull her up, Anna yanked her down into the snow. Elsa laughed, spreading her arms out wide and staring up at the sun as she saying contentedly, "I wish every day could be as fun as this."

"We'll have a snow day every day you return," Anna promised, smiling at her sister. Kristoff sat up, frowning.

"Wait, where are you going?" Kristoff asked. Anna and Elsa turned to look at him, and Elsa sighed, watching the clouds pass by overhead for a moment before saying simply, "Away,"

"Away where?" Kristoff asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Anywhere, really," Elsa said distantly with a faint smile on her face.

"When will you be coming back?" Kristoff asked concernedly. She looked at him sadly and said, "That's just the thing, Kristoff—I'm not coming back. Not permanently, anyway. I'll come and visit, but I'm passing the throne to Anna."

"What?" Kristoff asked in alarm, unsure if he'd heard correctly. "Wait, how much did I miss while I was away?"

"Elsa fell in love," Anna said, nudging Elsa with a teasing smile. Elsa blushed and said, "It didn't just happen while Kristoff was away."

"Wait, what?" Kristoff asked in bewilderment.

"Didn't you hear?" Olaf asked, waddling over. He clasped his stick fingers together and said dreamily, "She's in love. I bet he's tall and handsome and just perfect for Elsa."

Elsa blushed even harder, and Olaf leaned in and asked, "So…when do we get to meet him?"

"Well, he's traveling right now, but he should be back soon," Elsa said.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on for a moment," Kristoff said, his eyebrows furrowing as he tried to piece together what he'd just been told. "So you're leaving Arendelle to travel with a guy you just fell in love with? Didn't I _just_ hear this story a year ago?"

"No, and that wasn't true love, anyway," Anna said defensively, crossing her arms. "Elsa really loves him, and he loves her, and they've known each other for a long time."

"What's his name?" Kristoff asked skeptically.

"Jack Frost," Elsa said, and before Kristoff could say another word, she blurted out, "I know he's a legend, but he's real and he has ice and snow powers like mine."

"Right…" Kristoff said slowly, wondering if the summer heat had gone to Elsa's head. "So, will you introduce us to him when he comes back?"

"I'll try to, but it might be a little difficult because he's kind of…invisible to most people," Elsa said reluctantly.

Kristoff stared at her for a moment, completely dumbfounded. Finally, he took a deep breath and said, "Well, I guess if it's possible to live with trolls and have a talking snowman as a best friend, it's possible to fall in love with an invisible mythical figure."

"So you're alright with all of this?" Elsa asked carefully, and Kristoff nodded.

"Yeah, I think I am," he said. "How did you meet him, though?"

"That's a bit of a long story," Elsa said, laughing slightly. Kristoff motioned for her to continue, and she thought for a moment before launching into the tale.


	25. Sandy

Jack flew over Arendelle, resisting the urge to return to Elsa. He didn't want to return to her until he had her gift.

He wanted to give her something special, and while he couldn't offer her a kingdom, he was determined to make sure that Anna would be able to see her after she became a Guardian.

As night fell, he perched on a rooftop to wait for the golden sand to come. He was in sight of the palace, and he looked up at its balconies, wondering if Elsa was thinking of him. _Nah, she probably has queenly duties to worry about_, Jack thought. He stared absentmindedly up at the palace, surprised when Elsa suddenly appeared in one of the windows. She didn't notice him, but he stood up to try to get a better view. Someone joined her at the window, and she appeared to be arguing with the person. Her movements seemed sharp and agitated despite the distance, and Jack watched worriedly. Just as he was about to fly to her, he saw golden sand drifting through the streets, making its way into the rooms of Arendelle's children.

Caught between helping Elsa and finding Sandy, he bit his lip hard. Jack knew this was his best chance to find Sandy—he was somewhere near Arendelle, and Jack would be able to find him before sunrise. After that, Sandy would leave, and Jack would have to return to North's workshop to find him again. Glancing back at Elsa, who now stood alone at the window, he cupped one hand near his mouth and exhaled as though blowing a kiss. A heart-shaped piece of frost with their initials in the center blew through the air, and he created a gentle wind to lift it up to the window where Elsa stood. It pressed itself to the window, and Elsa stared at it in surprise. She went to the next window and threw it open, scanning the rooftops for him. Her eyes locked on him, but before she could call his name, he blew a kiss and jumped off the roof, letting the wind take him to the origin of the golden sand.

He zipped through the streets, following the thin trails of sand until they began to curve upward toward Sandy's platform of dream sand. He landed on the platform, and Sandy gave him a cheerful wave before turning back to his sand.

"Good to see you, too, Sandy," Jack said. "I was hoping you could help me with something."

Sandy motioned for Jack to continue, and he said, "Right, well, it's Elsa's little sister. You see, she can't see us even though she wants to believe. And if Elsa's going to become a Guardian, her sister should be able to see her."

Sandy created the figure of a little girl out of sand and placed a question mark above her head.

"Right, well, that's the difficult part. See, she's not a little girl. She's nineteen," Jack said, and Sandy sighed heavily. He started manipulating the sand, his brow furrowed in frustration, but Jack said hurriedly, "North said you could help. He said dreams are when dormant beliefs come to life, and I was thinking that maybe what Anna is missing isn't belief—it's imagination. Maybe that's what's holding her belief back; she just can't picture it anymore."

The sand dropped as Sandy frowned, tapping his chin in contemplation. His eyes narrowed as he created a question mark in the air.

"I was hoping you could manipulate her dream so that it's of me and Elsa. If she believes enough to see me, that'll help her see Elsa when the time comes, won't it?" Jack asked hopefully, and Sandy shrugged slowly. "Can't we at least try?"

Sandy sized Jack up, his hands working furiously as he created a sand form of Jack in the air. Jack looked at it and frowned.

"Is that really what I look like?" he asked with a playful grin, cocking his head to the side. Sandy shot him a look of annoyance before creating a sand form of Elsa. Jack looked at it and said critically, "She's more beautiful than that. Her eyes are more expressive, and her lips curve up more when she smiles."

Sandy motioned with his arms in frustration, and Jack quickly apologized, "Sorry, Sandy. I really want you to help. I won't complain anymore."

Sandy shushed him as he created sand forms of Bunnymund, Tooth, North, and himself. Jack watched in silence as the sand forms blended together and created a long string of golden sand. It came to life and zipped through the air, and Jack asked, "Do you think it'll work?"

Once again, Sandy shrugged, and Jack asked, "If it doesn't, could you send her similar dreams until it does?"

Sandy looked at him exasperatedly, but Jack begged, "Please, Sandy? I'll owe you one. Maybe I could track down stray Nightmares for you?"

After a moment, Sandy nodded, and Jack grinned.

"Thank you, Sandy! I'll start on the Nightmares tomorrow!" he said enthusiastically. "I'll see you later!"

He jumped off the sand platform, and Sandy waved goodbye as Jack started making his way back to Arendelle's palace.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hello, again! Thank you so much for the follows/favorites. It's incredibly encouraging to know that people read this story. If you have any opinions on the story/where it's going, please leave a review! Your reviews have helped shape characters and story lines. :)**

**I recently made a promise to a friend, so this chapter is dedicated to a good friend of mine. I'm not sure if she wants her real name mentioned, and it feels strange referring to her by her pseudonym, but here it goes...**

**Strawhatgirl, thank you for being the biggest fan of my writing and for being my best friend. I dedicate this chapter to you because it's about the creation of dreams, and you've been cheering me on from the creation of my own dream: becoming a published author. You're always there to critique my work and shake me out of writer's block slumps; to give me advice on my practically nonexistent love life and attempt to sing duets with me; to talk about whatever pops into one of our heads and understand what's going through my head before it comes out of my mouth; I have no idea what I'd do without you. This one's for you :)**

**Yours, Calypso**


	26. Dreams

Jack raced Sandy's dream sand back to Arendelle, following it to the palace. He landed carefully on the windowsill of Anna's room, peering inside as the sand made its way to Anna's bed and lightly touched her forehead. She murmured softly in her sleep as the dream came to life and sand figures of Elsa, Jack, and the Guardians began dancing and playing above her head. A small smile crept across her face, and she smiled contentedly as the dream progressed. Jack watched hopefully as the sand figures of him and Elsa began an enormous snowball fight between the Guardians, and he smiled in amazement at Sandy's handiwork.

As the dawn's first light seeped over the horizon, Anna stirred suddenly, and the dream sand quickly retreated from her room. Jack leapt off the windowsill, knowing that it wouldn't do well if Anna awoke to the sight of a stranger on her windowsill.

He flew down to the castle gates, touching down lightly and shouldering his staff before entering on foot. He looked up at the homes and shops lining the streets; he'd never given it much thought before, but it had been years since he'd walked through a town or city on foot. He usually preferred flying, but there was something special about seeing a town from the ground that made him wish he did it more often. However, as two ice-haulers walked through him, he felt an emptiness pass through him, leaving him with a lonely and rejected feeling in the pit of his stomach and a reminder as to why he didn't tend to travel by foot.

Sighing, he took to the air, landing on the roof of one of the shops and traveling on the high road back to the palace. Part of him wondered if he should visit Elsa; he missed her dearly, but he didn't want to return to her until he was sure that he had succeeded. He weighed the two choices for a moment before deciding that he would have the patience and willpower to wait. Wrinkling his nose as he hopped off the last roof and returned to the ground, he thought to himself, _I was never one for patience, but I guess I can give it a shot._

He waited until one of the servants opened the door to the palace before slipping in and walking through the foyer and up the main staircase. Advisors and servants alike passed him without as much as single glance as he walked down the hallway to where Elsa and Anna's rooms were.

Frowning, he realized he had no idea where Anna's room was; he'd only ever been to Elsa's. Knowing that he couldn't ask for directions, he began going from door to door, leaning his ear against them and trying to listen for the sound of Anna's voice. _Surely it won't be too hard_, he thought_, after all, she talks a lot_.

As he pressed his ear against the fifth door in the hallway, he heard another door open and saw Elsa step out into the hallway. His eyes widening in surprise, he ducked into the room he was standing in front of and quickly shut the door. Listening carefully, he heard Elsa call confusedly, "Jack?"

"What's going on?" he heard Anna's distinctive voice ask.

"I'm not sure," Elsa said slowly. "I keep thinking I see Jack everywhere. It's making me wonder if I've gone mad or if he's just teasing me."

"I'm sure he's just teasing," Anna assured her sister, and Elsa sighed heavily.

"If he is, then he's being awfully frustrating," Elsa said, and Jack could picture her rubbing her temples in annoyance. "And on top of all that, King Adrian decided that he doesn't want to wait a fortnight to come. Apparently, as soon as he received the letter, he decided to leave. He'll be here in five days."

"What?" Jack cried before realizing that he was supposed to be silent. There was a pause in the hallway before Elsa said, "O.K., this time I _know_ I heard him."

He heard footsteps, and he ran to the window, throwing it open. He was just about to jump when Elsa opened the door and asked in annoyance, "Is there are particular reason why you've been avoiding me? If you're just doing it to have a laugh, it's quite childish."

"Trust me, I'm working on something really important," he said, stepping up onto the windowsill. "For both of us."

"That's not much of an answer," she said, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged apologetically and said, "Sorry, but it's a surprise."

"You know I don't like surprises," she said suspiciously.

"You'll like this one," he promised. "Trust me."

"Is he in there?" Anna asked from the hall, walking into the room. Jack froze, staring at her nervously as her eyes scanned the room. They lingered for a moment on the windowsill, but she made no indication of being able to see him. His shoulders sagged in disappointment as Elsa turned to her sister and said, "Yeah, he—"

"I'll see you later, O.K.?" he said, jumping off the windowsill and trying to battle his disappointment. _It was only one dream,_ he told himself,_ Give it some time. It _has_ to work._

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry for the delay on this chapter! This week has been extremely busy between school and rehearsal, but I was finally able to sit down and write. Thank you so much for your patience. I hope you enjoyed, and I hope there won't be any more delays like this in the future. Feel free to review/critique! **

**Yours, Calypso**


	27. Communication

Jack flew aimlessly as he tried to assure himself that Sandy's dream sand would work within five days. He clung on like a drowning man to Anna's slight hesitation when she'd looked at the windowsill, but he was still scared. Scared of failure, scared of disappointing Elsa, scared of forcing her to choose because he knew that she'd choose her sister. She would never abandon Anna, and he couldn't blame her for it. She'd never leave her sister if she knew that Anna wouldn't be able to see her and Jack afterwards.

Suddenly, he realized that he was flying towards Elsa's ice palace. He touched down on the soft snow and looked up at the broken staircase, remembering his fury and despair when he'd found her blood on the shattered chandelier. Shaking his head, he turned away from the palace. It might've been the place where he'd first introduced himself to Elsa, but the memories of Nightmares and rejection and fear and anger still haunted its walls.

As he walked across the field of snow, he remembered their snow battles with a faint smile. He sat down against the tree he and Elsa had sat by when they'd shared their stories. Staring out over the snow, he remembered the warmth he'd felt when he'd wrapped his arm around her and held her hand. Tapping the snow with his staff and creating a small wave of snow that rippled across the field, he stared pensively over the field.

He knew that the only way Elsa would be happy would be if Anna could see the Guardians, but he was at a loss for ideas if the dream sand failed. He tapped the snow aimlessly with his staff, creating crystal patterns as he tried to think of another way to make Anna believe. For children, it was as simple as making it snow. But for adults…how could he make someone believe after years of blindness?

The dream sand had been a great plan, but what if it needed something more? If it did, then what? What else could make her believe?

He sat there for hours, trying to find an answer to the riddle. Finally, an idea came to him. He blinked several times, bewildered at the setting sun. _Was I really sitting for that long_, he thought to himself as he stood up and brushed off his pants.

He took to the skies once more, flying back to Arendelle. He made it back after night had fallen, and he saw dream sand making its way through the streets. He followed one strand of it back to the palace, where it slipped through Anna's window and gently touched her forehead.

It was a different dream this time. Instead of all of the Guardians, it was the sand figures of him and Elsa and Anna. They were walking together, and his sand figure was holding Elsa's hand. They seemed to be talking, and he wondered what words Sandy was putting in his mouth.

He flew up to the roof, sitting down and watching the golden dream sand moving in waves over Arendelle's roofs. The only thing he could do was wait until dawn. Quickly becoming bored, he created a small snowstorm in his hands, molding and playing with the snow aimlessly to pass the time. He tried creating snow versions of the Guardians, and he thought they were remarkable likenesses until he accidentally gave created Bunnymund's baby form. He chuckled and decided to try to create snow forms of Anna and Elsa. He created Anna with ease, but he found he had more trouble with Elsa. There was something about the spark in her eyes that he couldn't quite capture in the snow and ice.

Finally, dawn approached, and the dream sand began to retreat back to Sandy's perch. Jack stood, letting the snow melt as he jumped off the roof and checked to see if Anna was awake yet. Unfortunately, she was still sound asleep. He sighed impatiently, pacing on thin air and twirling his staff in frustration. _Why do humans need to sleep so much?_

Finally, he heard stirring within her room, and he turned quickly, blowing on the window to create ice crystals on the glass. Inside, Anna cocked her head curiously to the side and stared at the window.

"Elsa?" she called. "Is that you?"

**NO**, Jack wrote in huge letters in the frost. **JACK.**

"Really?" she asked excitedly, launching out of the bed and running to stand at the window. She pressed her hands eagerly against the glass, her eyes passing over him as she searched for him. He frowned disappointedly and exhaled again to create a clean slate for his writing.

**HERE**_, _he wrote, and she frowned at the seemingly invisible finger drawing the letters in the ice.

"Is this about Elsa's surprise?" she asked.

**YES**.

"Can you tell me what it is? What can I do to help?" she asked energetically. "Do you want me to let you in?"

**CAN'T TALK. MUST WRITE.**

"Do you have a sore throat or something?" Anna asked worriedly. "I can get the physician, if you want. I'm sure he'll have a remedy."

Jack shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration before quickly writing, **YOU CAN'T HEAR ME. MUST WRITE TO TELL YOU.**

"Oh," Anna said slowly, remembering how Elsa had been their translator when they'd met before. "Right. So what do you need me to do?"

**REMEMBER DREAM.**

"Which dream? The one about Elsa?" Anna asked, and Jack lit up, quickly writing, **YES. WHO ELSE IN DREAM?**

"I…there _were _other people, but I…it was so clear a few minutes ago," Anna said, sounding lost and confused as she tried to recall her dream. Her brow furrowed and her eyes squinted as she slowly said, "It was clearer than two nights ago—I remember that much…It was me and Elsa, and we were walking, but there was someone else there. Someone was holding her hand…I just can't picture him. Why do you ask?"

**IMPORTANT TO SURPRISE. DON'T TELL ELSA.**

"She's getting really anxious because of King Adrian, you know," Anna told him. "She misses you, even if she insists that you're being annoying."

**CAN'T RETURN UNTIL FINISHED WITH SURPRISE**, he wrote.

"Everyone's been arriving these past few days," Anna said concernedly. "They really think there's going to be a royal wedding, and Elsa's getting really worried that she made the wrong decision."

Jack felt his heart plummet in his chest, and Anna gasped as she realized what she'd just said.

"Oh, no!" she said hurriedly. "Not about you; about inviting everyone here. No, Jack, I just think it would be a good idea for you to visit her. She's so much happier when you're here."

Jack's heart rate returned to normal, but there was still a sense of unease in his stomach as he wrote, **WILL COME BACK TONIGHT. ELSA TOLD YOU ABOUT GUARDIANS?**

"You're one of them, right?" Anna asked, and he nodded encouragingly before remembering that she couldn't see him. On the glass, he wrote: **YES.**

"Are you meeting with them or something?"

**SOMETHING. WILL BE BACK SOON. **

"Should I tell Elsa?" Anna asked, and Jack was about to reply when a male voice asked from outside her voice, "Princess Anna? Who are you talking to?"

"Um," Anna said anxiously, glancing back and forth between the door and the window as Jack furiously scribbled: **NOT HERE. DON'T TELL ELSA. **

As Anna replied to the man at the door, Jack took off in the direction of the receding golden sand, hoping to catch it before the trail disappeared.


	28. Deadlines

Jack raced the wind as he tried to find the dream sand. He'd seen it heading towards the mountain range, so he flew due north before seeing a glimmer of golden sand to the west. Shifting his direction, he sped over trees and houses before finally catching a glimpse of a line of golden sand as it wove its way effortlessly through the air. He followed it for several minutes before it began to curve upwards, and he grinned as he landed on Sandy's platform.

Sandy turned and waved hello to Jack before creating a question mark overlapping with a dream cloud above his head.

"Yes, yes, the dreams are working, but I think I know how to make things go faster," Jack said as he caught his breath. "I just talked to Anna—"

Sandy frowned in confusion, and Jack continued, "Well, I wrote in the frost on her window, and she talked to me. Anyway, I need you to recreate that in her dream tonight, only with her able to see me. That way she'll had a better idea of what I look like and an anchor to latch those thoughts onto."

Sandy started motioning in frustration, his arms waving as small bursts of golden sand popped over his head. Jack stepped back defensively and said hurriedly, "I know, I know, you're really busy, Sandy, and I understand if you can't do it tonight. But Elsa is renouncing her throne in four days, and Anna _needs_ to believe by then. Please, Sandy, you're the only one who can help me."

Sandy crossed his arms, tapping his foot expectantly.

"I promise to get started on the Nightmare problem as soon as Elsa leaves Arendelle. We'll do it together," Jack said, but Sandy continued to tap his foot. He raised one eyebrow and Jack, and Jack's shoulders slumped as he tried to think of a way to convince Sandy to help. Suddenly, he straightened up and smiled charmingly at Sandy as he asked, "Will you help as a wedding present?"

Sandy's eyes widened in surprise, and he clapped his hands excitedly as wedding bells appeared above his head. Suddenly, the bells disappeared, and Sandy squinted suspiciously, creating sand forms of Nightmares in his palm.

Jack laughed and said, "Yes, yes, of course I won't forget. Does that mean you'll help?"

With a begrudging smile, Sandy nodded, and Jack grinned.

Meanwhile, Elsa stood on a small platform as a seamstress pinned the gold and purple dress that Elsa was wearing. Anna stood watching, and Elsa said, "Are you sure this dress is necessary? I'm sure my usual dress will suffice."

"Don't you want to look your best for King Adrian?" the seamstress asked, and Elsa bit her tongue to refrain from saying no. The seamstress pinned the last bit of cloth and said with a satisfied smile, "There. It looks lovely on you. What do you think, Princess Anna?"

"I think her usual dress brings out her eyes more," Anna said, frowning at the dress. Its large, puffy sleeves and wide skirt didn't flatter Elsa's slim figure in the slightest, and the golden lines in the purple fabric made the dress hover of the edge of gaudiness.

The seamstress pursed her lips and said, "With all due respect, Princess Anna, this dress was a gift from Andalasia. It will please King Adrian to see Queen Elsa wearing it."

Elsa pursed her lips but didn't say anything. She didn't want to start any unnecessary arguments; all would be well when she made her announcement to the court. She knew that she'd have to tell King Adrian before she made the public announcement, though, and she was still contemplating how she would go about doing so. She needed to be diplomatic and gentle without leading him on beforehand, lest he get angry and declare war on Arendelle—that was the last thing she needed—but she needed to be firm in her decision.

"Queen Elsa?" the seamstress asked, and Elsa blinked several times.

"Sorry, what?" she asked, and the seamstress smiled a strained, impatient smile.

"I asked if you wanted to take the dress off so that I could finish the final alterations," the seamstress said. As an afterthought, she added, "Please don't transform this one, too."

Elsa blushed sheepishly and nodded, raising her arms to let the seamstress help her out of the dress. The first time she'd been fitted for a dress after her return to Arendelle, she'd accidentally transformed it into her usual ice dress, destroying the seamstress' handiwork and setting her back a week.

"Thank you," the seamstress said when she was finished. She left, and after the doors closed behind her, Anna giggled and said, "You look so silly in those large sleeves."

"Apparently it's very fashionable in Andalasia," Elsa said. The muscles around her eyes twitched slightly as though they knew she wanted to roll her eyes, but she refrained, instead saying, "It's not the most flattering dress, but I'll only have to wear it for one night."

Anna bit her lip and began fixing the front of her dress. Elsa frowned at her and asked, "What wrong?"

"What?" Anna asked, her eyes widening as she quickly moved her hands behind her back. "Nothing's wrong."

"Anna, please," Elsa said skeptically. "You always fiddle with your dress or your hands when you're trying to keep a secret. Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, no, nothing's wrong," Anna said again, the pitch of her voice rising. Elsa continued to stare at her skeptically, slowing raising her eyebrow until Anna blurted out, "Elsa, I really want to tell you, but it's a surprise, and I promised not to tell. I just…I really hate keeping secrets."

"Does this have anything to do with Jack's surprise?" Elsa asked, and Anna shifted her weight uncomfortably. Elsa nodded in understanding and said, "Very well, then, I suppose I can wait."

She turned to the mirror one last time, tucking in a few stray strands of hair before saying, "We should go; the council is probably waiting for us by now."

"Are you nervous?" Anna asked as they stepped out into the hallway.

"About addressing the council? No," Elsa said. "About telling King Adrian and the rest of Arendelle…well, I've certainly been more confident."

"Jack and I will be here to support you," Anna promised, and Elsa smiled.

"Thank you," she said before smiling to herself and shaking her head. "That boy…I suppose he's a man, really, although sometimes he acts very boyish."

"He does, but he brings out the best in you," Anna said, smiling at her sister. "I think you need to be reminded every now and again what it's like to be childish."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Elsa asked with a hesitant smile, and Anna nodded. "I think so, too."

* * *

**Author's Note: Hello! Thank you so much for the kind reviews; they're very encouraging. To make up for the long delay, there are two updates tonight. :) I hope you enjoy! I apologize for any spelling/grammar issues I may have missed. Feel free to leave a critique/review! **

**Yours, Calypso**


	29. Sight

Jack returned to Arendelle that night, waiting on the palace roof for the dream sand to enter Anna's room. He paced anxiously, consciously aware of the seconds and minutes slipping by. His entire body was taut with tension at the idea of being out of control, of being helpless. Ever since he'd become a Guardian, he'd known his place, he'd known his purpose; for the first time since then, he'd stepped beyond that, and the thought of failure was maddening.

As the dream sand made its way into Anna's room, Jack hopped down and watched the thin strand brush against her forehead. It was the same dream as the night before.

Jack sighed heavily, sitting down on the windowsill and letting his legs dangle. Part of him wanted to leave—leave and go somewhere where he could make it snow and let children play, somewhere where he could forget the looming deadlines and have some fun. Turning his staff over in his hands, his brow furrowed. _Elsa wouldn't_, he thought. _If our roles were reversed, she would persevere. She wouldn't abandon something or someone she cared about if she could do anything to help. _

Standing up, he began to pace, letting his staff dip into the stream of sand and creating small snowflakes and ice crystals made of golden sand. _Would it really be so bad if I just went to visit her? I could still keep this is surprise if I visited her._

He hesitated for a moment before settling on a quick visit. He flew to her window, peering inside to find her sitting with a man he recognized as Kristoff. Crouching on the windowsill, he listened carefully as Elsa said, "I know it's sudden, Kristoff. I would prefer to have more time to prepare as well, but there's nothing to be done."

"You could stay after you make the announcement," Kristoff said. "You don't have to leave right away."

"It would hardly be fair for Anna," Elsa said, shaking her head. "She must assert herself as queen from the moment I step down; it wouldn't do if I lingered after abdicating."

"Is the rest of the court prepared?" Kristoff asked, and Elsa pursed her lips.

"The council is aware of my decision," Elsa said. "They're not pleased with me, but I've made up my mind. When I left Arendelle a year ago, it was for the wrong reasons; now I've righted those wrongs and can leave in peace. Anna will be an excellent queen, and you will make an excellent king."

Kristoff blushed and asked, "Does she know?"

"That you intend to ask for her hand?" Elsa asked, smiling. "Kristoff, the entire kingdom knows. Although, knowing Anna, she might still be oblivious. Sometimes she misses things that are right before her eyes."

Kristoff smiled and stood, saying, "She does at times, but you never really give up the hope that she'll see it. Thanks for agreeing to talk to me, Elsa. It means a lot."

"You're welcome," Elsa said, standing as well. "It was a pleasure talking to you, Kristoff. How long are you planning on staying at the palace?"

"I need to make a quick run back up to the mountains tomorrow morning, but I'll be back by the time King Adrian arrives," Kristoff said, and Elsa nodded. "See you then."

"Farewell," Elsa said as Kristoff left. As soon as he was gone, Jack tapped on the window. Elsa turned and smiled at him, hurrying over to the window and saying with a teasing smile, "I thought you'd gotten cold feet."

"Me? Never," he said, smiling easily. He was about to ask to come in when there was a knock at Elsa's door. Annoyance flashed across her face before she called, "Who is it?"

"It's Farnes, your majesty," the man outside her door called, and she sighed tiredly.

"I'm sorry, Jack," she said apologetically, looking harried. "I really wish I had a moment, but everything's so busy. Do you think you could come back tomorrow night? Between the council and the cooks and the seamstress and everyone else, I'm going to be running around all night."

"Oh," Jack said disappointedly. "Of course. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'm sorry," she said one last time before hurrying out the door.

As he flew away, he saw North's signature aurora borealis, and he groaned inwardly. _Pitch couldn't possibly be back_, he thought. _What else could North want?_

He hurried to the North Pole as quickly as he could, but he could feel himself losing time. When he finally arrived, he found North commanding three of the Yetis to paint a new batch of toys green. North looked up and saw him and said cheerfully, "Jack! Good to see you again."

"What did you call us here for?" Jack asked impatiently, and North looked confused.

"We're getting ready for new Guardian ceremony," North said. "That is what you wanted, correct?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Jack said, shaking his head tiredly. "But why did you call us here?"

"To help with preparations, of course!" North said, smiling and handing Jack several yards of thick blue cloth. "Here, take these to Yetis downstairs. They will start making banners. When they finish, you can hang them up there."

He gestured to the balcony overlooking the globe, and Jack said, "But, North, I really need to return to Arendelle. I—"

"Don't you want to help with preparations?"

"Of course, but—"

"Then start now and return to Arendelle when finished," North said. Realizing that he wouldn't win the argument, Jack flew off with the bolts of fabric, struggling to keep them from slipping out of his arms. He gave the cloth to the Yetis, but they motioned for him to stay and help them sew snowflakes onto the cloth. He tried to tell them that he didn't know how to sew, but they then insisted on teaching him. It was tedious work, and he pricked himself constantly as he tried to rush through the task. Every time he pricked himself, one of the Yetis would scold him with a firm shake of the finger before handing him a bandage and motioning for him to continue.

After they finished sewing the snowflakes on, they cut the cloth into banners, and Jack flew them back up to attach them to the balconies. He glanced out the window and saw, to his alarm, that it was already late afternoon. He was about to leave when North stepped out of his office, looked at the banners for an instant, and called up to Jack, "The snowflakes are too small. Sew larger ones on."

Jack sighed exasperatedly, undoing the banners and bringing them back to the Yeti, who once again insisted on him staying. He groaned loudly, but one of the Yeti gave him a stern look and motioned for him to sit. Moodily, he obeyed and began threading a new needle.

Despite Jack's pleas to leave the workshop, North kept him there for three days, just to work on the banners. First the snowflakes were too large, then there were too many, then there were too few, then the banner fabric was too full of extraneous holes and they had to cut new fabric—the list went on and on.

On the third day, as Jack worked furiously to sew the snowflakes onto the fourth set of banners, he asked the Yeti sitting next to him, "Are things normally this inefficient here?"

The Yeti nodded, and Jack muttered under his breath in annoyance as he continued to sew. His hands were covered in bandages from needle pricks, and they made his work even more difficult, which only frustrated him more.

Finally, the banners were finished, and he flew them up to the balconies for what felt like the hundredth time. He pinned them in place, and North poked his head out of his office, staring for a long time at the banners before calling, "Looks good!"

"Can I go?" Jack asked hopefully, and North thought for a moment before saying, "Yes, we are almost done with rest of preparations. Remember to bring Elsa on time!"

"Don't worry about that!" Jack called as he shot out of the workshop.

As he flew back, he realized that it was the morning of King Adrian's arrival. His stomach churned and his mouth went dry before he gathered the wind behind him to hasten his journey.

When he arrived at the palace, dawn was already stretching her pale fingertips across the sky. He hurried to Anna's window, peeking inside to see that Sandy had fulfilled his promise; the dream sand depicted Jack's conversation with Anna, only with both sand forms visible. As the sun rose, the sand retracted from her room, and she began to wake. Jack tore the bandages off his hands and tapped on her window. She frowned at the noise, getting out of bed and walking over to the window. She squinted at him, her brow furrowed.

He blew on the window and wrote, **CAN YOU SEE ME?**

"I…I don't know," she said slowly, staring at the letters. She rubbed her eyes; she _thought _she'd seen something. It all seemed so familiar; she could picture a figure hovering outside her window, blowing on it to create frost. But it was an unclear picture, and she couldn't quite…

**BLUE JACKET. WHITE HAIR. WOODEN STAFF**, Jack wrote hurriedly, trying to jog her memory. He drummed his fingers against the glass nervously as her frown deepened, and she said, "That sounds like the person I saw in my dream."

Jack nodded excitedly and wrote, **YES. THAT'S ME. **

Anna frowned, staring at the letters on her window. The image was becoming clearer in her mind, and she was beginning to remember vivid blue eyes, pale skin, brown pants, and bare feet. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to pull together the rest of the elusive details. She could almost picture him, but it was through a sheer veil—just thin enough to let most of the features through, but just thick enough to hide the final details. She wished she could sweep the veil away, but there was something stopping her—some maddening force that kept the image just beyond her reach.

As she tried to focus, Jack blew on the window again, this time pushing the frost through the glass and creating a small frost figure of himself standing on the inside windowsill. Anna opened her eyes and stared at it in surprise for a moment before reaching out to touch it. Jack made it jump up onto her hand, and she jerked in surprise before slowly bringing it to eye level. She stared at the miniature version of him, her brow furrowing as the final details from her dreams began to come back to her.

"Jack?" She murmured under her breath as the faint outline of a man began to appear outside her window. It was the same silhouette that stood in ice form on her hand, and she watched the details began to fill in—first the clothes, then the eyes and nose and mouth, until the figure she was holding was an exact replica of the man outside her window. He seemed to be holding his breath in anxious anticipation, his eyebrows drawn together slightly and his eyes worried.

"Anna?" she heard him ask hesitantly, and she smiled, nodding at him, the veil swept away. When he saw that she'd heard him, he gasped and asked in disbelief, "You can see me?"

"Yes," she said, laughing delightedly. She stared at him, taking in every detail for the first time with her own eyes. He was lankier than Elsa had described, but she'd captured his expressive eyes and mischievous handsomeness perfectly in her description. Anna giggled, unable to contain her disbelief and happiness at their success as she said, "I can see you, Jack! It's actually you! You're here, and I can see you!"

She bounced up and down with excitement and said, her eyes wide, "We need to tell Elsa! She's going to be so excited when she finds out. Was this the surprise?"

Jack nodded, smiling widely as he said, "Let me go get her. I'll be right back!"

He zipped down a few windows to Elsa's room, where he began pounding on the window until she stirred.

"What?" she called in annoyance, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"Elsa! You have to get up right now! There's something I need to show you!" Jack called, unable to contain his excitement. All of his doubt and fear and worry had been washed away, and he could hardly believe it.

"Five more minutes!" she called, rolling over so that she was lying on her back. She stretched, yawning loudly before pulling the covers back up and finding a more comfortable position.

"Elsa, you really need to see this!" Jack called, resuming his banging. She groaned, throwing off the covers in aggravation and storming over to the window. She unhooked the latch with a vexed look on her face, and Jack jumped inside, picking her up and hugging her tightly. She let out a small shriek of surprise and slapped his shoulder repeatedly, protesting sharply, "Put me down!"

He did, stepping away as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and pushed the hair out of her face, her heart racing from the surprise. After a calming breath, she collected herself and demanded, "What was all that for?"

"I missed you," he said, wrapping his arms around her in a tamer hug. "Also, I really need to show you something."

"Right now?" she asked, and he nodded, taking her hand and pulling her towards the door. "Wait, Jack, give me a moment! I need to get ready."

"But it's important!" Jack pleaded, his voice bordering on a whine. She gave him a stern look before saying, "Whatever it is, it can wait. I'm not going to parade around the palace in my nightgown."

"Fine," Jack said dejectedly, pouting slightly as Elsa transformed her outfit into a white and blue day dress made of the same ice-silk material as her first dress. As she combed her hair, Jack asked, "Are you ready yet?"

"In a moment," she said, pulling her hair into a thick braid. He tapped his foot impatiently as she did, and she smiled to herself—he was like a puppy waiting to be taken for its afternoon walk.

"Come on, you're really going to like this," he promised, taking her hand as soon as she was finished tying a hair ribbon in place. He was practically bouncing as he pulled her out of her room and down the hall, and she smiled slightly and said with a small laugh, "Jack, calm down. Where are we going?"

He slowed, suddenly realizing that he still didn't know where Anna's room was. He frowned slightly, remembering his path on the outside of the castle. Looking around the hallway, he turned slightly to orient himself, thinking for a moment before he turned in the opposite direction and pulled Elsa along with him.

He counted the doors until he was fairly certain that they were in front of Anna's room, and he knocked loudly.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Elsa hissed, glancing around to make sure they were alone.

"Wait and see," he said with an eager smile. She offered a confused frown in return until Anna opened the door and said cheerfully, "Jack! You brought her!"

Elsa's eyes widened, and her mouth opened and closed wordlessly. She looked back and forth between Anna and Jack in disbelief, and a small choking sound came from the back of her throat as her eyes began to water. She blinked back the tears as the tips of her lips curved up slowly. She continued to move her lips silently, at a complete loss for words, and Jack and Anna smiled at her as she finally managed to say to Anna, "You can see."

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading! This chapter was a bit tricky to write because I didn't want to make the scene with Anna and Jack too quick or easy, but I didn't want to draw it out to be painfully long either. If you liked it or thought it was too far on either end of the spectrum, please critique/review! Thanks again for reading. :)**

**Yours, Calypso**


	30. Arrivals

"Anna, I…" Elsa started, unable to pull her jumbled thoughts into a coherent sentence. "You…how?"

"You'd have to ask Jack," Anna said. "I don't know how he did it, but isn't it amazing?"

"Yes, I can't believe it," Elsa said, but before she could say anything else, Bryne ran around the corner. His clothes rumpled, his eyes harried, he bowed hurriedly before smoothing his shirtfront and saying, "My queen, King Adrian's arrived. He's waiting in the throne room as we speak."

"What?" Elsa exclaimed, her eyes widening. "He wasn't supposed to arrive until this evening. Anna, come on."

They hurried through the halls, and Jack followed them. Elsa glanced back at him worriedly, but he gave her a reassuring smile and motioned for her to keep going. When they arrived at the throne room door, Elsa paused, taking a deep breath and smoothing her hair and gown before motioning for the guards to open the door.

The doors were opened, and Elsa walked in with Anna and Bryne two paces behind her. Jack wondered if there were specific walking rules he didn't know about before shrugging and hurrying to catch up with Elsa.

A man stood by one of the tall windows; he wore a black army uniform with gold tassels on the shoulders, and he was wringing his hands nervously as he stared out the window.

"King Adrian, my sincerest apologies for making you wait," Elsa said, and he jumped slightly before turning around. He had grey eyes and curly brown hair, and he smiled nervously at Elsa before bowing and saying, "It's no fault of your own; the winds were favorable on our journey here, and we arrived before schedule. If anything, I should thank you for your kindness. We were worried your gates would not be open until this evening. I hope we are not taking advantage of your hospitality; I would hate to impose."

"Oh, no, not at all," Elsa said. "Please, join me for a walk. There is much to discuss."

She motioned for Bryne to leave, and said to King Adrian, "This is my sister, Princess Anna. I hope you do not mind if she joins us."

"Oh," King Adrian said, looking slightly surprised. "Not at all."

He offered her his arm, and she stared at it for a moment, an uncomfortable smile plastered on her face, before she accepted it. They began to walk, and Anna and Jack followed behind. As they left the throne room, Jack murmured to Anna, "Does she always sound this pretentious around other nobles?"

Anna tried to conceal her grin, but all she could manage to do was shush him before Elsa glanced back at them, raising an eyebrow and giving them a small glare.

"Is everything alright?" King Adrian asked, glancing at Elsa, who quickly turned back to face him. She laughed nervously and said, "Of course. Although—and this is by no means anything personal against you—I'm not one for physical contact."

"Oh," he said, his eyes widening. He quickly dropped her arm, saying, "I'm so sorry. I didn't even think—"

"No, it's alright," Elsa said with a strained smile. "Let's continue with our walk."

She led them down the hallway and into the chapel, where she began telling King Adrian about the history of the palace. Jack thought she would only be able to talk for a few minutes about the space, and he couldn't believe how wrong he was. After the first three minutes, he groaned in boredom and lay down in a pew, twirling his staff and making it snow above his head. Anna glanced at him with a small shake of her head, but he asked, "What? This tour is taking forever."

"It's only been five minutes," she hissed, and King Adrian glanced over at her confusedly.

"Princess Anna, who are you talking to?" he asked before his eyes widened again. "Is that snow?"

Jack immediately stopped the snow as he sat up. King Adrian was staring at him in disbelief, and Elsa looked like she wanted to throttle him.

"I heard about your powers, but I never knew both of you had them," King Adrian said, and Anna shook her head quickly.

"Oh, no, I don't have powers," Anna said, laughing nervously. "I, well, I mean, Elsa sometimes makes it snow by accident. It happens when she's flustered." Elsa shook her head almost imperceptibly to signal for her to stop talking, but Anna rambled, "I mean, not _flustered_, per se, but, well, nervous. Not that she's nervous right now, but you know, it happens."

"Is there something going on that I don't know about?" King Adrian asked, his brow furrowing. Elsa and Anna smiled the same nervous smile, and Jack asked, "Why don't you just tell him?"

"King Adrian," Elsa said, and he turned back to face her. "I didn't want to say anything until later, but we need to talk about something."

"Oh," he said, looking nervous. "Right, of course."

Elsa motioned for Anna and Jack to leave, but Jack protested, "Why do I need to leave? He can't even see me."

Elsa glared at him sternly as Anna turned to leave, but he argued, "Elsa, come on, I promise not to make it snow anymore while he's here."

She looked utterly exhausted with him, but she turned to King Adrian and said, "I truly appreciate you coming all this way to visit. It was very kind of you."

She motioned for him to sit down, and he did as she said, "I'm surprised you still came after hearing about my powers."

"Really? When I heard, I was amazed," he said. "I mean, it's simply incredible that someone could have such powers. Were you born with them? I don't remember hearing or seeing anything when I last came to visit."

"You've visited Arendelle before?" Elsa asked blankly, and he blushed slightly.

"Well, you were quite young at the time. I was five, and I believe you were three," he said sheepishly.

"Oh," she said. "Well, I was born with them, although I never knew why."

"Didn't I tell you that it was the Manny?" Jack asked, frowning at her. She shot another glare his way, and he realized, "Oh, right, I suppose you can't tell him about that."

"Have you met anyone else with powers like yours?" he asked, and she bit her lip before sitting down beside him.

"Yes, and that's what I wanted to talk to you about," she said. She took a deep breath before continuing, "I found someone who has ice and snow powers like mine, and he helped me realize that I can't stay here."

"What do you mean?" King Adrian asked, his brow furrowing. "Why not?"

"I thought I would be able to rule if I concealed my powers—if I forced them down and hid myself away to avoid people learning about them. I quickly learned how dangerous that plan was, and I abandoned it, but being here still forces me to hide them. The people here accept me as their queen, but they're still wary—no, they're still _scared_—of what I might do, and that's no way to rule a kingdom," she said. "Besides that, summer is debilitating and leaves me nearly incapable of leaving my chambers, and Arendelle deserves a queen who can rule with a sound mind and body for the entire year."

"So what do you plan to do?" King Adrian asked softly.

"I'm abdicating the throne," she said. "Tonight. Anna will become queen, I'll be free, and Arendelle will be safe."

King Adrian sat in stunned silence for a few moments, trying to process what he'd just been told. Finally, he said, "I suppose you're also rejecting my marriage proposal?"

"I'm sorry," she said. "But I can't stay here."

"Then come to Andalasia with me," he said, but she shook her head.

"Don't you see? I'm not fit to rule a kingdom—any kingdom. People like you and my sister may accept my powers, but most people will always be scared of me. I may have better control over my powers than I did a year ago, but I still make mistakes. And when you're ruling a kingdom, you can't afford to make mistakes."

"Elsa, everyone makes mistakes. It's impossible not to," he said, reaching out to take her hand. She pulled away, shaking her head and saying, "I know, but my mistakes are exponentially more dangerous. I'm sorry, Adrian. Please don't take this as an insult to you or your kingdom. I've always held both in the highest regard. This is to keep Arendelle safe."

He sighed, nodding slowly. Elsa watched him worriedly, and he said quietly, "This isn't just about Arendelle, is it?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, frowning.

"There's something else, isn't there? Some other reason for leaving."

"Are you going to tell him?" Jack asked, standing up and walking over to Elsa. She looked at him helplessly before turning back to King Adrian and saying, "When I was young, I almost killed my sister. That was why Arendelle's gates were closed; my parents didn't want me to hurt anyone else. I was raised to fear my powers and to stay away from people because I would only end up hurting them. These walls are like a prison; they're a constant reminder to fear myself, and I can't stay here."

"Then come with me," he implored. "I could help you."

"Adrian, it means so much to me that you want to help, but living in a palace and being feared by my own subjects are things I can't do. They're…they're triggers that whittle away at my control, and I can't…I just can't," Elsa said, and Adrian watched her sadly.

"I'm so sorry, Elsa," Adrian said softly. "I wish I could do something to help you."

"By coming here, you have," she said, and he frowned in confusion.

"Tonight, at the party to celebrate your arrival, I'm going to make the announcement," she said, and his frown deepened.

"So you were planning to use my arrival to gather Arendelle's nobles to the palace and make the announcement?" he asked, and her cheeks reddened slightly. "You could've called them here without all of this fuss."

"Most of them wouldn't have come if I hadn't," she said. "And I wanted you to come so that you and my sister could discuss an alliance."

"An alliance?" he asked slowly.

"The transition of queens might make other kingdoms think Arendelle is weak; I want to make sure that my sister has an ally," Elsa said, and Adrian nodded slowly. "In return, we can offer greater exports and freer trade with Andalasia, as well as our ports for your use."

"That does not sound unreasonable," he said. "I assume I will work out the particulars with your sister later?"

Elsa nodded and smiled at him in relief as she said, "Thank you, Adrian."

"You're welcome," he said before standing and smoothing his uniform. He bowed to Elsa and said, "With all due respect, I should probably inform my advisor of this. If you ever need help, Elsa, please don't hesitate to ask."

She stood and gave him a small curtsy, and he turned to leave. Just as he reached the doorway, he paused, turning back and asking, "I just realized that I never asked; where are you going to go?"

"Where the wind takes me," Elsa replied with a smile as Jack stood and joined her, taking her hand.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. It's been a bit crazy this week, but here's a new chapter! I hope you enjoyed. Thank you so much for the follows, favorites, and kind reviews. And, of course, thank you for reading! :)**

**Yours, Calypso**


	31. Transition

Elsa stood on the steps in the ballroom, watching the dancers in silence. Adrian stood to her left, Anna stood to her right, and Jack sat perched on his staff. The music was cheerful and lively, but Elsa couldn't shake the tension grinding in her bones. Her eyes scanned the crowd, as though she could pick out those who might cause trouble after her announcement.

"Would you join me for a dance?" Adrian asked suddenly, and Elsa glanced at surprise. His cheeks reddened, but he pressed, "Elsa, you may not wish to marry me, but please indulge me this once."

He offered her his hand, and she hesitated, glancing at Jack. He didn't look particularly pleased, but all he offered was an apathetic shrug. Turning back to Adrian, she met his eyes and saw only earnest kindness in them. Finally, she conceded, "Just this once."

He led her out onto the dance floor, placing one hand on her waist and taking her other hand in his. The next song began, and as other couples noticed Elsa and Adrian, they cleared off the dance floor. When Elsa noticed, she blushed and said, "Adrian, I'm not much of a dancer. Come on, let's—"

"Elsa, you promised me one dance," he reprimanded teasingly as he gave her an easy smile. "They're staring because you're the queen and because they believe they're looking at a royal couple."

"I really need to make the announcement soon, don't I?" Elsa murmured, glancing around as they danced.

"Sooner would probably be better than later," he said, and she nodded.

"When this dance is over," she decided, nodding to herself in reassurance.

As the song ended, Adrian led her off the dance floor and up onto the step as the people applauded them. She smiled tightly as she waited for the applause to die down, then cleared her throat and said, "Welcome. It gladdens me that all of you could make it tonight to celebrate King Adrian's arrival. I realize that many of you came here expecting a significant announcement, and here it is."

The crowd swelled in anticipation as soft murmurings spread through it like a wildfire before dying down. Elsa took a calming breath and announced, "I am abdicating the throne. Ever since I returned to Arendelle, I have tried to rule to the best of my abilities, but I have come to the realization that I am not fit to rule Arendelle." The crowd stood in stunned silence as Elsa continued, "My sister, Princess Anna, will become queen and will take over all royal duties beginning tonight. The coronation ceremony will take place tomorrow evening."

She stepped back and motioned for Anna to step forward in her place. Anna smiled nervously at the crowd, and they stared back at her in complete silence; the only sound was that of Elsa's dress rustling as she walked back to join Adrian. Finally, Anna said, "I realize this is a difficult transition for you to make, but I assure you, I will do my best to ensure Arendelle's safety, well-being, and prosperity in the years to come."

Once again, silence reigned before Adrian called, "Long live Queen Anna!"

Elsa repeated him, and slowly, the crowd took up the call. Scattered applause began in the back of the hall, and it spread forward until the entire room was cheering for her. Anna and Elsa smiled in relief, and Jack hopped down from his perch to take Elsa's hand.

"We should go soon," Jack murmured in her ear. "The Guardians are waiting for us."

She gave him a subtle nod before saying loudly to the crowd, "Let the festivities recommence!"

The music and the dancing began again, and Anna turned back to Elsa, giving her a tight hug. Elsa smiled sadly and hugged her sister, saying quietly, "I'll return as soon as I can."

"Promise?" Anna asked, pulling away but taking her sister's hands in hers.

"Promise," Elsa said with a warm smile, giving her sister's hands a small squeeze. She turned to Adrian, giving him a formal curtsy before saying, "Thank you, Adrian, for everything. This would not have been possible without you."

He bowed and said, "Farewell, Elsa. I only hope you'll stay in touch."

"You'll be hearing from me," she promised with a mischievous smile that Adrian didn't quite understand.


	32. New Guardian

As soon as Elsa and Jack left the hall, he took her hands and pulled her playfully as he began running down the hallway. She laughed, freeing one hand to hitch up her long skirt to avoid tripping as she ran.

"Jack, slow down!" she said through her laughter. He smiled in return, leading her up the stairs and down the hall to her room, where he closed the door and pointed to it, saying, "You were there, sitting down against the door when I first saw you."

"What does that have to do with any of this?" she asked, still laughing from their unexpected run.

"It's almost been five years since then," he said, taking her hands.

"I didn't take you for the sentimental type, Jack," she said, smiling at him.

"That's ridiculous; there's no such thing as a 'type,'" he said with a smile before becoming serious once more. "But, really, Elsa, we've come a long way since then."

"We have, haven't we?" she mused softly before grinning and pulling him over to the window. Opening it, she stepped up onto the windowsill and held out her hand as she said, "But we have much further to go, don't we?"

He grinned, taking her hand and stepping up onto the windowsill as he said, "Of course. We have the world to see." She smiled at him, and he squeezed her hand before saying playfully, "Now, come on, there are some people I want you to meet."

They flew quickly over Arendelle and through the mountains, and he led her across open water, saying over the wind, "North's been asking a lot about you. They're all eager to meet you, although Bunnymund might not show it at first."

"Why?" Elsa shouted in reply.

"You're the only one of us who was marked from birth by Manny," he replied. "Some of the Guardians were born with their powers due to the nature of their being, others were gifted their powers after Manny realized their potential, but you're the first to be gifted with them from birth."

"Why would he do that?"

"He must've known you were destined to do something incredible," Jack said, smiling at her. "He must've known you were meant to be a Guardian."

They flew for another hour or so until Jack pointed to a mountain in the distance.

"See that one there? That's where North's workshop is," he said. As they neared it, she saw tiny lights glowing warmly in the chilly air and wooden bridges and structures built into the side of the mountain. Jack led her to the largest one, and they flew through a large opening in the ceiling. An enormous globe, like the one she'd seen in Pitch's caverns, dominated the center of the room, only this one was colorful and had tiny notes in blue and gold ink written on it. Yetis were busy working, and several floors down, she saw giant cogs spinning. As they landed, a brightly colored woman flew up to them excitedly, taking Elsa's face in her hands and exclaiming, "You must be Elsa! Jack's told us all about you, but he didn't tell us about your beautiful teeth! Open wide!"

She pulled Elsa's lips apart and examined her teeth and said, "They're gorgeous! Like fresh snow. Do you floss?"

"Oo I wha?" Elsa asked around Tooth's fingers, and Jack pulled Tooth away embarrassedly, saying, "This is Toothiana, but everyone calls her Tooth. She's the Tooth Fairy and the Guardian of Memories."

"Sorry about losing your baby teeth! We recovered them from Pitch as soon as we found out," Tooth said. She squealed and said, "It's going to be so exciting having another female Guardian! You have to promise to come visit Punjam Hy Loo sometime, alright? Especially for sunrise. It's gorgeous there!"

"Um, alright," Elsa said, smiling nervously. "It's really nice to meet you."

She turned and gasped in surprise as she came face-to-face with an enormous grey rabbit standing on its hind legs.

"Hello," she squeaked. "I'm Elsa."

"I'm Bunnymund," he said, his eyes narrowing. "I've got my eye on you. It's been difficult enough keeping track of one Guardian with ice and snow powers. Now there are going to be two."

"Sorry," she said apologetically, but Jack laughed, and, with a shake of his staff, he made it snow over Bunnymund's head.

"Don't mind the Easter Kangaroo," Jack said with an easy smile, and Bunnymund glared at him as he dusted the snow off his shoulders irritably. "He's the Guardian of Hope. He's never liked me much for some reason. Well, I mean, it might've been that blizzard on Easter day a while back, but I'm sure he'll get over it."

"Jack! Elsa," a large man man with a long white beard and a red plaid shirt exclaimed loudly. A smaller, roundish man whose skin, clothes, and hair seemed to be made of golden sand floated by the larger man's side.

"North," Jack replied, smiling. "Elsa, this is North, and this is Sandy. He's the one who helped Anna see."

Sandy created a top hat made of golden sand and tipped it at Elsa, and she laughed, saying, "Thank you, Sandy. It's so nice to meet all of you at last. Jack's told me about you, too."

"Would you like some eggnog? Maybe some cookies?" North offered as tiny Elves hurried over to Elsa with trays of Christmas cookies.

"Thank you," she said, bending down and taking a cookie to be polite. The Elf she took it from blushed and tried to stuff more cookies into her hand as she stood back up, but she declined. She giggled as the other Elf pushed his companion and offered her his tray of cookies, and North said, "We've been talking about new Guardian, and Manny agrees that Pitch is true problem. He also thinks you can help. You see, Elsa, you hold something very special, very powerful, at your center: _freedom_. And Manny decided _you_ will be new Guardian!"

Two Yetis made growling sounds as they lifted two torches, and the Elves started playing a fanfare. Bunnymund rolled his eyes, and Tooth clapped excitedly as a Yeti handed North a large book. Blue flags with snowflakes sewed onto them rolled down from the ceiling, and Elsa looked around confusedly as two miniature tooth fairies draped wreaths of white and blue flowers over her neck. She looked to Jack for an explanation, but he just smiled at her and stepped back as jingling Elves crowded her. One Elf began pounding on a drum, and two others held up horribly ugly blue shoes with bells on the tips for her to wear.

"Um, no thanks," she said as politely as she could, stepping back and bumping into two Yetis, who pushed her forward towards North. She glanced around anxiously, wrapping her arms around herself as she searched for some anchor of peace—something recognizable and comforting. She looked back at Jack, but he only grinned at her again, giving her two thumbs up.

_What does that even mean, _she wondered as she found herself staring at North once more. He opened the book and cleared his throat, but before he could say anything, Elsa hurriedly shouted, "Do you think you could stop playing the music?"

The trumpets and trombones died down, and North looked at her confusedly.

"The music is the best part," he exclaimed, but she shook her head, her voice stressed as she said, "No, I don't think you understand. I don't do well at ceremonies or fanfare events or…"

"Very well, then," North said disappointedly, shooing the Elves with instruments away. One tossed his trumpet over his shoulder in exasperation as he stormed off. Clearing his throat again, North began, "Do you, Elsa of Arendelle, vow to watch over the children of the world? To guard them with your life, their hopes, their wishes, and their dreams. For they are all that we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be."

"I do," Elsa said with a smile, and Jack smiled proudly at her.

"Then, congratulations, Elsa of Arendelle, for you are now, and forever more, a Guardian!" North cried happily, and the others cheered. Sandy created golden fireworks above his head, and the MiniFairies chirped happily. North handed the book to one of the Yetis and picked Elsa up in a bear hug, practically suffocating her before putting her back down. She smiled as she tried to regain her breath, and Jack hugged her tightly, pecking her lightly on the lips before pulling away.

The MiniFairies chirped excitedly, flying up to Elsa and placing flowers in her hair as another two dropped a wreath of flowers onto Jack's head. Two more pinned a veil attached to a flower in Elsa's hair, and Elsa laughed as the MiniFairies pushed them together. Jack smiled happily; he'd never seen Elsa look so beautiful. Bunnymund rolled his eyes as North said happily, "Fun and freedom go hand in hand, no?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh my goodness, we're at the beginning of the end of this story. Wow...thank you so much for all of your kind reviews, favorites, and follows, and most importantly, for giving this story a chance. It's really touching and encouraging, and if we knew each other in real life, I'd bake you all cookies. But honestly, I have no idea what the proper etiquette is for this sort of thing. (Haha, if anyone wants to inform me, that'd be cool.) **

**Just because I'd rather not have an author's note at the end of the last chapter, I thought I'd mention that it'll be a while before I post anything because I prefer writing out a full draft of a story before revising and posting. I'll probably be going back and fixing a few small things in past chapters, but other than that, I'll be on hiatus after the final chapter in this fic. In terms of future fics, I'm thinking either a sequel to this one or an Alice in Wonderland inspired fic; I'm still in the planning stages for both, so we'll see what happens. :)**

**Thanks again for your time and interest and incredible kindness! **

**Yours, Calypso**


	33. Freedom

After staying for a feast North insisted on making, Elsa and Jack flew back to Arendelle. North and the other Guardians had been disappointed, and Tooth had tried to convince her to stay longer, but Elsa was determined to return for her sister's coronation.

When Arendelle finally appeared on the edge of the horizon, Elsa urged Jack to fly faster.

"Come on, we'll be late if we don't hurry," she said, pulling him along.

"We still have plenty of time," Jack tried to say, but Elsa shook her head.

"I'm not going to be late to my own sister's coronation," she said determinedly. "Now, come on."

When they reached the gates, they hurried through the streets with the other nobles headed towards the palace for the coronation. Jack could barely keep up with Elsa until they reached the front step of the palace. Suddenly, Elsa slowed, staring at the walls of the place she once knew. Despite the darkness that lurked in the shadows of the building, haunting its walls with pain and fear, she knew it as home. She stepped cautiously inside, her body numb as she walked through the foyer. Jack followed respectfully, not wanting to intrude on Elsa's thoughts.

She wrapped her arms around herself as her eyes shifted from left to right, seeing only her childhood memories—playing with Anna, building snowmen, making it snow inside. As they reached the top of the stairs, she blinked, turning back and looking at the dark foyer nostalgically.

"We can come back here any time you want," Jack promised her, and she nodded distantly before taking a deep breath and saying, "We should hurry if we want to make it to the chapel in time."

They hurried down the hall and slipped into the chapel just as the guards closed the door. Instinctively, Elsa began making her way up to the front, but Jack pulled her back, murmuring, "There's a child sitting about halfway to the front; if she sees you, she might make a fuss."

Elsa's shoulders sagged in dismay, and she allowed herself to be led to the back. She and Jack stood against the back wall, and she watched as the cardinal picked up the crown. As the choir sang, Anna bowed her head, and the cardinal placed the crown on her head. She straightened up, and the cardinal presented her with the orb and scepter. She took them in her hands and turned to face the crowd as the cardinal began to chant. Her eyes scanned the crowd, and they widened when she spotted Elsa and Jack. Anna's mouth opened slightly in surprise, and Elsa quickly put a finger to her lip and shook her head. Anna quickly shut her mouth and regained her composure as the cardinal finished, "Queen Anna of Arendelle."

The crowd stood and repeated the words in a cheer, and Jack and Elsa cheered along with them. Elsa felt her heart swell with happiness, but then the little girl in one of the middle pews turned around. The girl's eyes widened, and Elsa gasped, grabbing Jack's hand and fleeing from the chapel before the girl could say anything. Anna frowned in confusion, and she started after her sister, but the nobles stopped her before she could make it past the first two pews, congratulating her and wishing her prosperity and peace during her reign.

"Thank you," she said graciously as she tried to push past them. "But I really, really have to go."

They watched her in confusion as she hurried out of the chapel after Elsa. Kristoff followed her, catching her by the arm and asking worriedly, "What's going on?"

"Elsa was here, but she ran away," Anna said, looking around frantically.

"What? Elsa disappeared last night after her announcement," Kristoff said confusedly.

"I know, I know, but she was here," Anna insisted. "You probably couldn't see her, but she was here."

"Wouldn't someone have said something if she'd been there?" Kristoff asked reasonably, but Anna shook her head.

"No, she's…she's invisible," Anna said, groaning in frustration as Kristoff looked at her skeptically. "It's hard to explain, but only a few people can see her, now."

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" he asked, peering into her eyes.

"I…" Anna started, faltering when she saw Elsa appear around the corner. Smiling in relief, she called to her sister, "Elsa!"

Kristoff turned around, frowning when he couldn't see her. Squinting slightly, he asked, "Anna, who are you talking to?"

"Anna, he can't see us," Elsa said gently. "You're one of the only adults in the world who can still see the Guardians."

"But…" Anna said softly, turning back and forth between Kristoff and Elsa. "But you're still going to come and visit, right?"

"Anna, of course," Elsa said, beginning to move towards her sister when she hesitated. "But it'll be difficult if no one else can see me. After all, you can't be seen talking to air."

People began exiting the chapel, and Elsa said worriedly, "I'll see you later. I promise."

Before Anna could protest, Elsa and Jack disappeared around the corner. Kristoff pulled her back to prevent her from running after her sister, and Anna reluctantly returned to the nobles.

That night, after the coronation party, she paced nervously in her chambers. Kristoff sat in an armchair, watching her concernedly as she walked back and forth across the room.

"Where is she?" Anna asked in frustration. "She said she'd be here. You don't think she'd just leave without saying goodbye, do you?"

"No," Kristoff said. "But you still never explained to me why she's invisible."

"It's like when we were little and used to believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, only they're real," Anna said, and once again Kristoff raised his eyebrow skeptically. "No, they're real. All of the legends that we heard. And, well, now Elsa's become the Snow Queen we used to hear about in the legends."

"So she's a legend from a story? You mean she…then who did we know? Or was she just keeping it a secret from us all that time?" Kristoff asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"I…I don't know. I don't really understand it, but she's invisible now, except to a few people, and she can't stay here," Anna said. "But she promised to say goodbye, and she's not here, and…what if she left?"

"Anna, I left without saying goodbye once, and I nearly destroyed the kingdom," Elsa said from the doorway, and Anna whipped around to see her sister smiling sadly at her. "Do you really think I'd repeat my own mistakes?"

"Elsa!" Anna cried, running to her sister and throwing her arms around her. Elsa hugged her sister in return, closing her eyes and sighing softly. Anna pulled away and asked, her voice breaking, "Will I ever see you again?"

"Of course you will," Elsa said earnestly, squeezing her sister's hands. "I'll never let anything come between us. Not this, not distance, not anything. We'll always be sisters, wherever we go, and we'll always be best friends, no matter how far apart we are."

"You're really leaving?" Anna asked sadly, and Elsa nodded. "What about Kristoff?"

"I've already given my blessing, but—"

"No, no, what if he never sees you?" Anna asked, and Elsa paused.

"He'll have to find his own way of believing," Elsa said softly. "I'm sorry, Anna. I can't promise that he'll ever be able to see me."

"What if I helped him?" Anna asked as Kristoff stood.

"I…perhaps," Elsa said hesitantly. She pulled away from her sister and walked over to the window, where Jack was waiting. She opened it and stepped up onto the windowsill as she said, "I should leave, Anna. My time as ruler of Arendelle is over; it would be wrong to linger."

Anna let out a small choking sound before hurrying over to her sister. She pulled her sister off the windowsill and into a tight hug, and Elsa hugged her back. Without pulling away, Anna said, "Promise me you'll visit."

"I'll visit whenever you want me to." Elsa promised, pulling away. "All you have to do is concentrate, and I'll come."

"Is this really goodbye?" Anna asked, her voice cracking, as Elsa stepped up onto the windowsill once more. Jack took her hand, and Elsa said with a tearful smile, "It is, but goodbyes are never permanent. I'll always stay with you, even when I can't be with you physically. You just have to believe."

Before Anna could say another word, they leapt off the windowsill, the wind carrying them away into the night. Anna waved to them, and Kristoff joined her at the window until Elsa and Jack were out of sight. Silent tears rolled down Anna's cheeks, and she couldn't decide if they were out of sadness for her loss or out of happiness for her sister's freedom.

As they flew low over the fjord, Elsa glanced back worriedly at the lights of Arendelle's palace. Jack squeezed her hand and whispered, "The pain is past, Elsa. You don't have to be scared anymore."

"It'll never fully be past," she said as he intertwined his fingers with hers.

"Perhaps, but now freedom can begin to replace the pain," he said, dipping their fingers into the water and creating frozen streaks below them. Elsa smiled in delight, and North's parting words echoed in her mind.

_You will never truly be rid of fear or pain or darkness. None of us will ever be. But if you do not let it consume you, if you keep your center pure and full of love, Pitch will have no power. It is fine line to walk, and at times it will be lonely one, but in it you will find your freedom. _


End file.
